Canadian energy company Boralex is to supply electricity to the French arm of telecommunications company Orange from the 39MW Ally-Mercoeur wind farm in France.
Under the terms of the power purchase agreement (PPA), Orange France will receive 67 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year from the project, which is located in the Auvergne Rhone-Alpes region of the country.
The five-year deal kicks off on 1 January next year and is Orange’s first large-scale PPA in France.
Boralex said the agreement allows Ally-Mercoeur to enter a new phase and secure the sale of its electricity at the end of its current purchase obligation contract, which will end in December 2020.
Orange has committed to increasing renewable energy to over 50% of its electricity consumed by 2025, as part of its Engage 2025 strategic plan.
Orange France chief executive Fabienne Dulac said: “Orange France has set an ambitious target of being net zero carbon by 2040 and has made improving the energy performance of its networks a major focus of its Engage 2025 strategic plan.
“In recent months, at a time when the networks have been more crucial and in greater demand than ever, I am particularly proud of this agreement, which illustrates our commitment as one of the economic players paving the way in France on PPAs and thus contributing to our country’s energy transition.”
Boralex general manager for Europe Nicolas Wolff said: “Our objective was to develop a partnership approach with Orange, one that would create value for both our groups.
“That is what we have done. We are pleased to see the name Boralex associated with Orange France.
“This corporate PPA demonstrates our ability to bring real solutions to companies envisioning their energy transition.”