Supermarket chain Tesco has signed a corporate Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), facilitated by EDF, to secure 65% of the output from Cleve Hill solar park in the UK.
Cleve Hill is situated on the north Kent coast and has a capacity of 373MW, making it the UK’s largest combined solar and battery storage project.
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The PPA, spanning 15 years, underlines Tesco’s commitment to renewable energy, with the solar park expected to meet the electricity demands of 144 large Tesco stores annually.
Construction of the park began in early 2023 and it is scheduled to become operational by early 2025.
The site will be equipped with 560,000 solar panels, alongside energy storage infrastructure.
The latest PPA, along with existing ones, will cover 45% of Tesco UK’s or 36% of Tesco Group’s expected 2030 power demand.
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By GlobalDataTesco Group chief executive Ken Murphy said: “We’re delighted to be announcing such a significant step in our journey towards carbon neutrality across our own operations by 2035.
“Cleve Hill solar park, with its ability to generate up to 10% of our UK electricity demand, joins a number of other PPAs we’ve announced over the last five years.
“With its ability to provide vital energy storage infrastructure, it’s a key part of the renewable energy strategy in the UK, and further evidence of our commitment to tackle climate change and source green electricity from innovative projects like this.”
Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has also begun sourcing renewable energy, which will come from the Pines Burn wind farm, now commissioned in the Scottish Borders.
Pines Burn began construction in July 2022, features seven turbines and adds 33.6MW of new electrical capacity to the national grid.
In July 2022, the supermarket signed an agreement with Capital Dynamics to source 100% of the wind farm’s output for its energy needs for the next 15 years.
The new turbines are expected to produce 92,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity on average annually – equivalent to 8% of the annual energy requirements of Sainsbury’s.
This is the eighth wind farm helping to power the supermarket chain.
In October 2024, Tesco strengthened its commitment to sustainability by expanding its rail network.
