Neoen has signed a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) for 139MWp with SNCF Energie, the branch of SNCF dedicated to the sourcing of electricity supply for trains in France.
Under the 25-year agreement, SNCF Energie will purchase all the electricity and guarantees of origin produced by the 139MW Le Couret agrisolar park in Haute-Vienne, France as soon as the park is commissioned.
The project, which follows Neoen’s develop-to-own model, will be France’s largest solar park operating under a PPA with SNCF, said Neoen.
The PV array has been granted the required authorisations and its connection to the grid is secured, added the developer. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with commissioning to follow in 2028.
The electricity produced at Le Couret will cover the equivalent of the annual supply for the high-speed Paris-Marseille line.
Thanks to close collaboration between Neoen, local officials and the Chamber of Agriculture, the solar farm will combine renewable electricity production with sheep farming, said the developer.
A farmer will use the 150 hectares as grazing land and the solar farm is designed to enable cohabitation and to safeguard animal well-being. The project includes a farmhouse, hay barn/shearing area and sheepfold for the farmer’s use.
Two apprentices will also be trained in the particularities of raising sheep in an agrivoltaic park, said Neoen.
“We are delighted to announce the signing of this PPA in France and we thank SNCF Energie for their trust,” said Neoen’s French development director Guillaume Decaen.
“We are proud to have pioneered agrisolar back in 2019, when we initiated the development of Le Couret, five years before it became an important topic in France.
“The park will be home to 700 sheep and 1000 lambs, supporting farming in Haute-Vienne while producing green, low-carbon electricity to power trains.”
President of SNCF Energie and director of the ecology and energy transition at SNCF Voyageurs Olivier Menuet added: “Back in 2007, we led the way in terms of Responsible Procurement and this agreement is a step further along the road to Responsible Energy that we chose to follow in 2016 – aiming for energy sobriety and efficiency, for low-carbon solutions, moving away from fossil fuels thanks to hybrid trains, biofuels, batteries or hydrogen powered trains, and for the use of electricity from renewable sources, hence the PPAs.
“As France’s number one consumer of electricity, we have a duty to be exemplary.
“The PPA with Neoen – my respect and gratitude to their teams and leaders – is another demonstration of our determination to continue purchasing contracting PPAs, as we have been doing since 2018.
“We are approaching our target of 20 PPAs for a total of 1.1TWh of renewably sourced electricity. The partnership with Neoen underpins our progress and makes it a reality.”
General manager of SNCF Energie at SNCF Voyageurs Richard Fécamp said: “We are particularly proud of this contract, because of its size – it’s probably the largest solar park under PPA to date – and because of the agrisolar component.
“We are edging towards our 1100GWh target and are well on the way to upholding SNCF Voyageur’s commitment.”
Neoen’s chairman and chief executive Xavier Barbaro added: “I would like to thank our team for this new success.
“With over 2GW of PPAs signed around the world with major industry and technology players, Neoen is proud to now be contributing to the decarbonization of the transport sector.
“Our growth in the extremely promising corporate PPA market is based on the quality and competitive strength of our projects and our demonstrated ability to bring them to fruition.
“More than ever, Neoen is aiming to be the partner of choice for companies in France and around the world.”