Corporates Inks Record 1.5 GW of Wind PPAs in 2018: WindEurope

European corporates have signed new corporate wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) for a record 1.5 GW in 2018, bringing the cumulative total ever since 2013 to about 4.7 GW, as per report from WindEurope.

Data by the industry body show that in the previous year, it was the aluminium sector that was the most dynamic in signing such deals, as Norsk Hydro ASA and US-based Alcoa Corp agreed off-take contracts in Sweden and Norway, respectively.

The Norwegian aluminium company signed a deal to procure about 60% of the output of the 353-MW Blakliden/Faebodberget onshore wind project in Sweden, while Alcoa’s Norwegian unit inked a PPA for the output of the 330-MW Oyfjellet wind project.

WindEurope cited that the pharma and automotive industries also saw their maiden PPAs. In particular, Mercedes-Benz signed agreements tied to the 45.1-MW Taczalin wind farm in Poland and for 46 MW from six community-owned wind parks in Germany.

From a geographic point of view, the most PPAs signed last year were in Nordic countries. First contracts were sealed in Germany, Spain and Poland, and WindEurope asserts that “France and Italy are looking into it as well.” The first offshore wind PPA was also signed last year, covering one-fifth of the electricity generated by the 604.8-MW Kriegers Flak plant in Danish waters.