MADRID, 11 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -
Iberdrola has signed three new long-term clean energy purchase agreements with Vodafone -known as PPAs- in Spain, Portugal and Germany at competitive prices. In addition, both companies are committed to working together to seek new opportunities for PPAs and sustainability initiatives in Europe, as reported by both companies in separate communications.
The new agreements will allow Iberdrola to supply Vodafone with a total of 410 gigawatt hours (GWh) of photovoltaic energy in three countries, thus helping to accelerate Vodafone's path towards zero energy and increasing its energy security. This energy is equivalent to the annual electricity demand of more than 117,000 homes.
For Vodafone Spain, it has been agreed to supply 280 GWh per year from the newly built Cedillo photovoltaic plant, located in Cáceres (Spain), while for Vodafone Portugal, the PPA will supply 80 GWh per year from the newly built photovoltaic solar plant de Velilla, located in Palencia (Spain).
In the case of Vodafone Germany, a PPA has been agreed to supply all the energy from the Boldekow photovoltaic plant, the first Iberdrola solar project to be developed in the country. The plant will have a total capacity of 56 MWp and will be built in the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It is expected to be fully operational in 2024.
Additionally, and within the common objective of both companies to reduce CO2 emissions and meet energy transition objectives, Iberdrola has already installed more than 140 electric chargers at Vodafone's main facilities in Spain and provides them with management and optimization services your operation.
Aitor Moso, Iberdrola's Global Customer Director, highlighted that both Iberdrola and Vodafone are committed to connecting customers and communities to a cleaner and smarter future.
"As global promoters of clean energy, we have projects around the world that allow us to support multinational companies like Vodafone, committed to sustainability in all their business operations. Agreements with companies like Vodafone are increasingly important to enable the construction of new renewable energy projects, and now we hope to accelerate the delivery of these photovoltaic solar plants," he said.
For his part, Joakim Reiter, Director of External and Corporate Affairs of the Vodafone Group, stressed that these agreements throughout Europe "underline Vodafone's commitment to guarantee that our customers continue to benefit from electricity from a 100% renewable supply".
"They also provide Vodafone with greater energy security and long-term price certainty as we work to achieve net-zero power operations by 2030," he said.
Reiter has indicated that in order to achieve net zero targets in line with the Paris Agreement, the world faces the "daunting" task of ensuring that almost 90% of the world's electricity needs are generated from renewable sources and without carbon.
"Today's announcement is a great example of how telecommunications operators, such as Vodafone, can help accelerate this essential transition by becoming key players in the deployment of renewable energy," he said.
In addition, both companies are analyzing other options for long-term energy supply contracts to collaborate with Vodafone in its ambitious emission reduction targets in Europe, as well as other types of sustainable projects that will further decarbonize their operations in the future.
In the opinion of the energy company, securing a long-term buyer for the production of clean electricity allows Iberdrola to speed up the construction and commissioning of the projects. In this way, this relationship reinforces Iberdrola's strategy of signing bilateral agreements that promote the supply of energy at competitive and stable prices to large customers who are committed to clean and sustainable consumption.
