PARIS, FRANCE: Air Liquide (Paris:AI) has signed its biggest long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to date with approximately 115 MW of new offshore wind electricity, purchased to Vattenfall in the Netherlands.
This PPA comes in addition to a previous agreement announced with Vattenfall in March 2021, expanding the long-term partnership between the two groups. It reaffirms Air Liquide’s commitment to lead the way in decarbonizing the European industry while lowering its own carbon footprint, in line with its Sustainable Development objectives.
Air Liquide has signed a 15 year contract starting in 2025 with Vattenfall, one of Europe’s leading producers and retailers of electricity. The renewable energy will be generated by the Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) subsidy-free, worldscale offshore wind farm under construction by Vattenfall off the Dutch coast.
This agreement will enable Air Liquide to supply its current industrial and medical gas production assets in the Netherlands and more generally in Benelux with renewable energy. It will also feed some of its large-scale decarbonization projects in the region and accompany the acceleration of its customers’ demand growth for low-carbon gases. This agreement will allow Air Liquide to cover more than 30% of the Group’s current electricity consumption in the Benelux.
Over the contract duration, this will avoid the emission of up to 3.5 million tonnes of CO2, which is comparable to the emissions generated by over 150,000 Dutch households. This contract will significantly expand Air Liquide’s offer of low-carbon solutions at competitive prices and give customers the ability to add more renewable content in their end products.
Pascal Vinet, Senior Vice President and a member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee, supervising Europe Industries activities, said: “This long term power purchase agreement represents a major step-up in Air Liquide’s renewable energy sourcing as it is the largest renewable energy PPA we have signed to date. Securing access to renewable energy is a key element of Air Liquide’s decarbonization and Sustainable Development strategy. It allows the Group not only to significantly reduce its carbon footprint but also to meet the growing demand from its customers for competitive low-carbon solutions. With this PPA, Air Liquide also strongly confirms its commitment to actively support the energy transition in Europe. “