Energy supplier EDF has signed two major solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Network Rail and Aukera.
Renewable investment and development specialist Aukera has agreed a long-term route-to-market PPA with EDF, which will offtake 100% of the output from Aukera’s Benthead Solar Farm. The Benthead Solar Farm, located in North Ayrshire, Scotland, combines a 31MW battery energy storage system (BESS) with approximately 53.5MW of solar generation capacity. The Benthead Solar Farm has not yet begun construction; the site is expected to be commissioned in 2026, and is 100% owned by Aukera.
The PPA has been agreed for a term of between nine and eleven years, depending on the commissioning date of the BESS, and marks the first time that EDF has partnered with Aukera. In addition to the PPA, EDF has also inked a separate optimisation agreement for the Benthead BESS; EDF will optimise the battery system via its AI-supported Powershift platform.
Aukera secured finance for the Benthead Solar Farm, alongside four other solar projects, in April. The £135 million senior debt facility was agreed with Deutsche Bank and Rabobank, and will be used to fund construction of all five solar projects. The Benthead project, alongside the others financed by this facility, successfully secured a 15-year Contract for Difference (CfD) as part of Allocation Round 6 (AR6).
Christopher Dalley, director of wholesale market services at EDF, said that the deal reflects EDF and Aukera’s “shared vision of a cleaner, more flexible energy system”. He added: “The integration of long-term PPA stability with cutting-edge battery optimisation demonstrates how EDF supports the UK’s net zero ambitions”.
Full steam ahead for EDF and Network Rail
Meanwhile, Network Rail has taken significant strides towards decarbonising its stations and offices thanks to a new corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) with EDF Renewables.
The CPPA is the first agreement Britain’s railway has made. It will see Network Rail offtake 64GWh of solar energy at a fixed cost every year for the next 14 years. The solar energy will be secured from the 49.9MW Bloy’s Grove solar PV power plant in Norfolk, which was granted planning consent in August 2022 and is set to go into construction imminently.
The 64GWh Network Rail will offtake each year is enough to power around 15% of the electricity needed for the firm’s offices, depots and managed stations (collectively known as non-traction energy). According to Network Rail, one year of solar energy purchased through this deal is the equivalent of powering London Liverpool Street station for nine full years. Network Rail has stated that it hopes to agree further CPPAs to power all of its non-traction energy needs with solar power in the next few years.
Jeremy Westlake, Network Rail’s chief financial officer, said that this first of its kind contract demonstrates how organisations like Network Rail “can use their buying power to drive investment in clean power generation for the country”. Jo Lewington, chief environment and sustainability officer at Network Rail, agreed, calling the contract “a huge step forward” in the firm’s mission to power all of its stations and offices with sustainable energy.
James Schwerdt, head of solar at EDF Renewables UK, said that the company is pleased to be aiding Network Rail on its sustainability journey, adding that the project demonstrates the importance of solar in meeting the UK’s net zero goals.
