The Co-op Group and renewable energy provider Voltalia have signed a corporate power purchase agreement (corporate PPA) which will result in the former sourcing its electricity from the latter’s solar farm in Yorkshire.
The corporate PPA covers the entire output of a 34,000-megawatt per year Eastgate solar farm, which is located in Scarborough in North Yorkshire, and is due to be fully operational in 2025.
As part of the agreement, Co-op will source electricity for its estate, including food stores, distribution centres, and Funeralcare homes, over a 15-year period.
Early construction works have now begun on the farm and it will feature a total of 62,500 solar panels once it has been completed. When all the solar panels are operating at maximum capacity, they will provide enough electricity to supply up to 7.5% of Co-op’s total electricity needs per year.
Co-op’s commitment will now unlock the investment required to build the solar plant and in doing so will help to add additional renewable generation to the UK, which the group views as an important step as it continues to call for energy market reform. The move is also part of its work to reach net zero carbon in its operations by 2035.
Shirine Khoury-Haq, group CEO at Co-op, commented: “The signing of this corporate PPA is a significant milestone demonstrating Co-op’s goal to green the energy grid and create transparency in the renewable energy market.
“Not only will this agreement unlock more green energy, it will also enable energy security, drive economic growth and move us closer to net zero. That’s why we still believe that grid decarbonisation should be an absolute priority for the government.”
She added: “Whilst businesses have a part to play, reform to allow much more rapid progress for projects such as the Eastgate solar project is urgently needed. Whilst the significant progress the UK has made to date is to be applauded, as a country we remain too reliant on fossil fuels, and ambitious targets alone won’t deliver the benefits that a Net Zero grid will deliver, from energy security to lower generation costs to the better outcome for the planet that’s so desperately needed.”
Sébastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia, remarked: “We are very proud to support Co-op in their net carbon zero target by providing clean electricity in the food industry, reaching millions of individuals and enabling us to raise awareness of more sustainable and responsible consumption.”
Elsewhere in UK grocery, the largest supermarket chain in the country, Tesco, has announced plans to roll out an initiative of work to aid the shift to a nature positive food system.
Tesco’s ‘Nature Programme’ will focus its efforts on, the following: protecting nature in key sourcing landscapes, both in the UK and abroad; scaling industry leading innovations to support biodiversity; implementing a nature plan across its own estate and operations; continuing to lead the industry on research into key challenges facing nature and the food system; and playing a leading role in cross sector engagement.
The programme is set to build on the work of the Tesco-WWF tie-up, which came to a formal end earlier this month. The retailer will continue to work alongside WWF and other retailers as part of WWF’s Retailers’ ‘Commitment for Nature Group’, as well as developing its own initiatives with its suppliers and farmers.
Tesco’s chief commercial officer, Ashwin Prasad, said: “As the UK agriculture’s leading customer, we work with thousands of knowledgeable and committed suppliers, growers and producers who are passionate about protecting nature on their farms.
“We want to harness that passion to create a food system that will protect biodiversity and secure our own supply of affordable, healthy, and sustainable food. Our Nature Programme will provide our supply base with innovative and practical ways to protect and restore nature, including stepping up our support for vital on-the-ground action in water catchments across the UK.”
Read more about Tesco’s greener thinking on Green Retail World
[Image credit: Co-op]
