Neoen has signed a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) with French network operator TDF for 62MW of capacity from two solar farms.
Under the 15-year agreement, from 1 January 2026, TDF will purchase the electricity and guarantees of origin produced by the Salernes (16.8MW, department of Var) and Boussès (45.1MW, department of Lot et-Garonne) solar farms.
Construction of the two solar farms, developed by Neoen in dialogue with the local governments and stakeholders in the respective areas, will begin in 2023, with commissioning of the Salernes solar farm scheduled for 2024 and Boussès to follow in 2025.
The corporate PPA will allow TDF to secure a supply of green energy for a significant part of the electricity consumption of its telecommunications and audio-visual broadcasting sites.
The Boussès solar farm will also entail the restoration of a degraded forest environment with many diseased trees (gap formation, wood-boring beetles, Fomes rot).
Under a forestry compensation scheme, 86.2 hectares of healthy trees (including hardwoods) will be planted in the department of Lot-et-Garonne – twice the area that will be cleared.
Guillaume Decaen, Neoen’s French Development Director, France, said: “We are delighted to announce the signing of our first corporate PPA in France and we would like to thank TDF for the trust they have placed in us.
“The strength and depth of our portfolio of projects provide a solid foundation for our growing ambitions in the corporate PPA market.”
Olivier Huart, Chairman and CEO of TDF, said: “We are proud to embark on this flagship partnership with Neoen, a key French player in renewable energy.
“Optimising our energy consumption and incorporating new sources of energy supply are priority areas for reducing our carbon footprint.”