German food retailer REWE Group has signed a power purchase deal with Orsted for 100MW of power from the latter’s 900MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm in the German North Sea.
The agreement represents REWE Group’s largest renewable energy offtake agreement to date and makes it the first German food retailer to purchase electricity from an offshore wind farm in the North Sea.
The 100MW of green power from Borkum Riffgrund 3 equals the power consumption of 1500 REWE stores. REWE Group has a goal of becoming climate neutral by 2040.
The power purchase agreement was signed and will be managed by EHA Energie-Handels-Gesellschaft, REWE Group’s energy procurement arm.
Chief executive of REWE Group Lionel Souque said: “Offshore wind energy has tremendous potential. We will take another step towards climate neutrality by using the first green power generated from the North Sea.”
Rasmus Errboe, Head of Region Continental Europe for ORsted, said the world urgently needs to shift to renewables.
“To achieve this systemic change, action is needed from governments, energy providers, and corporate energy customers. REWE Group has a long tradition of buying sustainable power, and by purchasing power from Borkum Riffgrund 3, they’re supporting the build-out of affordable new renewable energy at industrial scale.”
Borkum Riffgrund 3 is expected online in 2025 pending a final investment decision by Orsted due later this year.