Telenor and Telia have signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Better Energy in Denmark.
The deal will see a solar park constructed, which is expected to be completed and operational by the end of 2024. Better Energy owns and is responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the coming park.
"We are facing three urgent crises in Europe: a climate crisis, a biodiversity crisis and an energy crisis. How rapidly we adapt to renewable energy is crucial to the world we will live in afterwards. With this agreement and the active choice to buy new green energy, Telia and Telenor help accelerate the green transition in Denmark and Europe,” said Rasmus Lildholdt Kjær, CEO of Better Energy.
The Swedish and Norwegian telcos will offtake 125 GWh per year over a ten-year period, equivalent to around 75 percent of the energy consumed by the companies’ mobile networks in the country over that period.
It's probable that this is a "pay as produced" PPA, rather than a 24x7 PPA which means that the energy produced will not match the times when Telenor's network requires power, so the actual impact on Telenor's grid energy consumption will be considerably less. DCD has contacted Telenor to ask for confirmation of this.
“With the agreement, we are taking a major and important step towards Telenor’s goal of being 100 percent CO2 neutral by 2030. We must act swiftly and decisively if we are to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and we are very pleased that we are expanding the pool of green energy in Denmark with this agreement,” said Lars Thomsen, CEO of Telenor Denmark.
Last month Telenor signed a 10-year PPA with Hydro Energi AS to procure 330GWh annually from the Stor-Skälsjön wind park in Sweden to power its Norwegian operations.
“Today, CO2 emissions from the operation of the mobile network account for about a third of our total emissions. That’s why we’re committed to provide the best possible networking services with the smallest possible carbon footprint. With the agreement, we contribute significantly to the expansion of renewable energy production, which is completely in line with Telia’s ambition of zero emissions by 2030,” added Petr Cermak, CEO of Telia Denmark.
Telia’s Finnish data center is connected to a district heating scheme and is using its UPS batteries to donate energy to the local grid.
Danish telecoms firm TDC Net has previously signed a PPA with Better Energy to build four solar parks in Denmark.
