Swiss energy group Axpo Nordic has secured long-term route-to-market power purchase agreements (PPA) with UK-based Green Investment Group’s (GIG) Buheii and Tysvær wind farms in Norway.
Currently under construction, the wind farms will provide energy to the Norwegian smelters of Eramet, a global mining and metallurgical group. Commercial operations are expected to commence in the second half of 2021.
Axpo Nordic is responsible for facilitating the corporate PPA between GIG and Eramet Norway through the balancing of the wind farms and managing the physical power delivery.
Axpo and GIG have been partners since 2019 when Axpo Nordic agreed with GIG to buy the output generated by the 43MW Hornamossen wind farm, located in Sweden’s Jönköping municipality.
Through the agreements for the Buheii and Tysvær wind farms, GIG and Axpo have now extended their existing cooperation to Norway.
Axpo Nordic head origination Kjetil Holm said: “We are seeing a clear trend: Going green is becoming increasingly more important, especially for energy-intensive industrials. Customer demand is constantly growing in this segment as these companies want to secure long-term power supply from renewable energies with predictable price conditions to ensure stable and efficient operation.”
The 79.8MW Buheii wind farm, based in Kvinesdal, southern Norway, will produce enough low-carbon electricity to displace an estimated 15’000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year when operational.
The 47MW Tysvær wind farm, also located in southern Norway, will power the equivalent of 8803 homes and annually reduce CO2 emissions by some 7000 tonnes.
The two wind farms will also contribute to Norway’s goal of becoming a ‘low emission society’ by 2050 and achieve ‘climate neutrality’ by 2030.