Telecommunications carrier Orange has signed a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) with solar and wind power developer Engie in France to deliver a renewable energy supply solution in the country. This will involve creating new solar energy production capacities, supplying renewable energy to Orange for its own consumption and managing the production of all renewable electricity capacities contracted by Orange with other producers.
The PPA will help Orange reach its goal of reducing 30% of its direct CO2 emissions by 2025 (compared to 2015) and reaching an electricity mix of 50% renewable energy.
The 15-year PPA covers the development of two new solar projects totaling 51 megawatt peak (MWp) in the Hautes-Alpes region. These two solar farms will be operational by January, 2023, the companies say.
Telecom companies have placed increasing focus on renewable energy in recent years, with giants like AT&T, T-Mobile, BT and Telstra signing significant PPAs to boost the percentage of renewables in their energy mix. Despite this growth, however, telecom companies only covered about 7% of their electricity needs with renewable energy resources as of 2019 — and just 19% of telecom companies had renewable energy targets, the International Renewable Energy Agency said (via THEnergy Consulting).
