Spanish utility Iberdrola SA and french food company Danone have signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), which will drive the development of Europe’s biggest photovoltaic plant.
The agreement reached will guarantee the long-term green supply of electricity to all Danone’s Spanish production plants and its natural water sources, located in Asturias, Barcelona, Gerona, Guadalajara, Granada, Madrid and Valencia; as well as its logistics centres and offices. Danone España’s suppliers, Graham Packaging and Salvesen Logística, have also joined the alliance. Iberdrola will also provide green energy to the 29 supply points in Spain for a period of 10 years from April 2022.
The consumption to be supplied under the PPA formula will be 73 GWh/year. Danone will complete its green energy supply with another annual energy contract with Iberdrola up to 104 GWh/year.
The electricity supplied will come from the »Francisco Pizarro« project – currently the largest photovoltaic plant planned for Europe with a capacity of 590 MW – which Iberdrola is building in the municipalities of Torrecillas de la Tiesa and Aldeacentenera, in Cáceres, Extremadura. Investment is about €300 million ($364 million).
Iberdrola is managing PPA’s from wind and photovoltaic projects with 6,500 MW throughout the world in markets including Spain, the United Kingdom, the USA, Mexico and Australia. The company has launched a major investment programme totalling €75 billion between 2020-2025, with the aim of doubling its renewable capacity. Investments for Spain for the period amount to nearly €14.3 billion, half of which will be earmarked for new renewable projects.
