German power generator RWE has signed a 10-year corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) to supply renewable energy to over 400 UK locations.
Beginning today, the CPPA will provide up to 53GWh of clean electricity annually to five independent retail co-operatives: Lincolnshire Co-op, Scotmid Co-op, East of England Co-op, Southern Co-op, and Central Co-op, which led on the deal.
The CPPA covers generation from the 630MW London Array offshore wind power plant operated by RWE and owned by a consortium including RWE, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Greencoat UK Wind PLC, and Masdar Energy UK Limited.
The London Array, comprising 175 turbines, was formally inaugurated by then-prime minister David Cameron in July 2013. Until September 2018 it was the largest wind power station globally.
The agreement was made through a collaboration between the co-operatives and energy and sustainability advisor Inspired PLC, and Shoosmiths LLP led legal negotiations. RWE noted that the deal was executed in three months, less than half the ‘usual timeframe’.
About a fortnight ago, RWE announced another PPA covering the wind plant had been agreed. Telehouse International Corporation of Europe, a global data centre service provider, signed a 10-year PPA, which it said would provide a ‘substantial amount’ of the energy used at Telehouse’s London Docklands campus.
How much of the wind plant’s capacity the PPA accounts for is not public information, Current± heard.
The UK’s renewable electricity mix is dominated by wind generation. In 2024, electricity generation from renewable technologies reached a record 144.7TWh, accounting for more than half of generation for the first time ever; electricity generated by wind rose 2.1% on 2023 to a record 84.1TWh in 2024, taking a 29.5% of the overall electricity mix.
The UK now has over 30GW of operational wind capacity, split relatively evenly between onshore and offshore developments. As explored by Solar Media Market Research analyst Josh Cornes, 2025 has already seen almost 800MW wind projects submitted for planning.
There has also been almost 600MW approved this year, making it the second best Q1 since the UK began deploying wind. The full article, which also looks back at 2024 deployment, is available to read here.
