Co-op expands its sustainable energy supply with offshore windfarm partnership

Co-op has announced that it is to enter a seven-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to utilise energy generated from a wind farm located off the coast of North Wales.

The consumer co-operative is working in partnership with RWE – a leading energy producer -to increase the amount of renewable energy it procures to support national energy security and accelerate its path towards decarbonisation.

Under this new agreement, Co-op will source electricity produced from the Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm to help power its estate, including food stores, distribution centres and funeral care homes across the UK.

RWE will supply Co-op with a total volume of 33 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean electricity annually – which is enough to power the equivalent of around 140 Co-op food stores a year, equal to 12,200 homes. 

Heather Thomas, Group Property & Sustainability Director at Co-op, said: “At Co-op we’re delighted to announce this further Power Purchase Agreement signing, as we continue to strengthen our energy purchasing strategy by making impactful changes across our business. 

“For the sake of people and planet, it’s vital that collectively we tackle the climate crisis. The energy transition is central to energy security and therefore national security too.

“That’s why we believe that every business should be playing its part to help green the grid, be that by reducing their energy demand or indeed by ensuring that renewable electricity generation forms an integral part of their energy procurement decisions.”

Olaf Lubenow, Head of Commodity Solutions UK, North & South Europe at RWE Supply & Trading, said: “This contract will help Co-op to meet an increasing proportion of its energy needs from renewable sources. We are seeing continued growth in interest in sustainable energy solutions in the UK retail sector.”

The Gwynt y Môr wind farm is located in the Irish Sea, off the coast of North Wales. Operated by RWE, it is Wales’s largest offshore wind farm and comprises 160 turbines with a capacity of 576 megawatts. The wind farm is owned by a consortium of RWE, Stadtwerke München GmbH and Macquarie GIG.