Eneco has signed a ten-year PPA with Austrian chemical company Borealis to supply renewable energy to the latter’s production operations in Belgium.
Eneco, which has an exclusive offtake agreement for the entire output generated at the 487MW SeaMade offshore wind farm in the Belgian North Sea, will supply around 150GWh each year to Borealis over the next ten years, starting in 2024.
The additional renewable electricity procured through this agreement brings Borealis closer to realising its aim to use 100% renewable electricity in its polyolefins and hydrocarbons businesses by 2030.
SeaMade in the Belgian North Sea, comprises two offshore concessions commissioned at the end of 2020, the 252MW Seastar and 235MW Mermaid, each with two offshore substations.
The farm’s 58 wind turbines are located around 45 km off the coastal city of Ostend.
Taken together, Seastar and Mermaid have the capacity to power the equivalent of around 500,000 Belgian households every year.
Eneco has a 12.5% combined stake in the SeaMade project; the rest is held by partners Otary RS NV (70% stake) and Electrabel NV (17.5%).
In procuring 100% of the SeaMade output, Eneco moves closer to its goal of becoming completely climate neutral by 2035 as defined in its One Planet Plan.
This second PPA between Eneco and Borealis covers the supply of renewable electricity from the Seastar wind park.
Borealis executive vice president for base chemicals and operations Wolfram Krenn said: “Our new PPA with Eneco for roughly 1.5TWh of renewable power over the next ten years is an important step forward for Borealis in achieving our own Energy & Climate targets.
“Having strong and reliable partners like Eneco enables us to accelerate our climate neutrality efforts.
“This is what we mean by re-inventing essentials for more sustainable living.”