Circle K teams up with EDF in new solar energy deal

Circle K has signed a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) with renewable energy company EDF Renewables Ireland.

A PPA is a long-term electricity supply agreement between a customer and a power producer.

The agreement is set to begin in October and will last until 2036. It involves EDF Renewables providing renewable energy to 168 sites within Circle K’s network.

Circle K’s retail network is made up of over 420 stations, with 168 owned directly by the business. The remaining 250 are operated by independent partners.

The energy will be generated at EDF Renewables’ solar farms, which are located in Wexford and Kilkenny.

The Blusheens, Coolroe and Curraghmartin solar farms have a combined capacity of 17MW, EDF Renewables reported.

In a statement today, Circle K reported that the energy from the three solar farms will also be used to power its electric vehicle charge network. The forecourt retailer currently has charging points at 44 service stations across the country and also has a number of partnerships with ESB, Tesla and Ionity.

It plans to add 30 Circle K branded electric vehicle chargers by next year, following a €7m investment in 2023.

“Our company-owned network of 168 locations serves the needs of 1.5 million customers weekly and for all of these locations to now be powered by 100pc Irish renewable energy from October 2024 is significant for our business,” Circle K managing director Ciara Foxton said.

“Developing our EV charging infrastructure to support Ireland’s transition to electric-vehicle usage has been a core focus of ours for several years now,” she added.

Ryanne Burges, EDF Renewable’s director for offshore and Ireland, added that this was the company’s first corporate PPA in Ireland. “As Ireland moves towards net-zero, PPAs will play an increasingly significant role in driving the clean-energy transition and providing an important route to market for renewable energy projects,” she said.

EDF Renewables also acquired 50pc of Codling Wind Park, an offshore wind farm off the cost of Wicklow, in 2020. Last year it signed a partnership deal with Cork-based Simply Blue Group to develop two floating wind projects off the coast of Ireland.

The two projects together are expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately two million Irish homes across the country when both developments are completed.

Reporting on:independent.ie