Telecom giant Orange and power company ENGIE announced today a new agreement, including the production and supply and management of renewable energy for Orange.

The new agreement includes a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) through the development of two new solar projects both located in the Hautes-Alpes region, totalling 51 MWp. These solar farms are expected to be operational by January 2023.

Additionally, ENGIE has agreed to aggregate all of the renewable energy produced by the wind farms and solar plants for which Orange France signed a power purchase agreement, and to deploy a continuous energy strip that caters as closely as possible to Orange’s actual consumption profile.

Rosaline Corinthien, CEO of ENGIE France Renewables, said:

“We are proud to work with Orange France on building a prosperous, sustainable and low-carbon future. This PPA contributes to increasing the share of renewables on French territory and thus contributes to achieving the ambitious objectives of the multi-year energy program. This innovative contract illustrates ENGIE’s expertise across the entire renewable electricity value chain and our ambition to accelerate our clients’ energy transition.”

In December 2019, Orange presented a strategic plan, Engage 2025, which includes significant sustainability commitments, including a target to reach with a net zero carbon footprint by 2040, despite the increase in network data transmissions. Reaching the commitments outlined in Engage 2025 will require a significant increase in the use of renewable power, which Orange estimates will reach 50% of the company’s power usage by 2025. Today’s announcement follows another large-scale PPA signed by Orange France with onshore wind power producer Boralex in July 2020.

Fabienne Dulac, Orange’s Executive Vice-President and CEO of Orange France said:

“Reducing our environmental footprint is a major part of Orange’s strategy. By 2025, the Group plans to reduce 30% of its direct CO² emissions compared to 2015 and reach an electricity mix made up of 50% renewable energy. Signing this agreement with ENGIE is extremely important in this regard; it illustrates our desire to be a major player in the field of power purchase agreements in France. We are proud to contribute to the country’s energy transition and also proud of the economic development of the regions where new solar power facilities will be built.”