SNCF Energie, Octopus Energy and BayWa r.e. decarbonize French rail
Octopus-backed solar farms to power greener train journeys
Partnership to unlock 2.5 TWh of clean energy over the next 25 years – enough to power 15,500 TGV trips each year from Paris to Rennes
Marks Octopus’ and BayWa r.e.’s first corporate power purchasing agreement in France
SNCF Energie, Octopus Energy’s generation arm and BayWa r.e. announce the signing of two major Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) with the French national railway company SNCF Voyageurs, in a move to accelerate the shift to cleaner, fossil-free public transport.
The agreement will see SNCF Energie supply green electricity to SNCF Voyageurs for its travel solutions.
Developed and constructed by global renewable energy company BayWa r.e. and acquired through Octopus’ Sky fund (ORI SCSp), the solar farms Greenberry and Fontenet 3, are expected to deliver over 100 GWh of green electricity each year.
Over the agreement’s 25-year period, these solar farms will produce 2.5 TWh of clean electricity – enough to power 15,500 TGV trips from Paris to Rennes each year. It marks BayWa r.e.’s and Octopus’ first agreement of this kind in France.
Located on former military bases in Central and South-West France, the two solar farms transform once-restricted sites into hubs of clean energy.
The move brings SNCF Voyageurs a significant step closer to its sustainability goals. Since 2018, SNCF Voyageurs has expanded its corporate PPA program, aiming to source 20% of its electricity through CPPAs.
It comes as Octopus is rapidly expanding its footprint in France, now managing over 500 MW of solar and wind projects and supplying energy to more than 600,000 homes through its retail business.
Richard Fécamp, Managing Director of SNCF Energie commented: “This is a huge leap forward for SNCF’s ambition to decarbonise and expand rail transport. As one of France’s largest energy consumers, we aim to source between 40% and 50% of the electricity consumed by our trains from renewables by 2030, including 20% from PPAs. The Fontenet 3 and Greenberry PPAs represent significant progress in our commitment to clean energy transformation.”
Dr. Daniel Gaefke, COO at BayWa r.e. said: “Completing the negotiation of these two PPAs in just three months - from kick-off to signature – underscores what a perfect match this collaboration is and our commitment to delivering large-scale renewable solutions at pace.
We’re proud to support SNCF’s green rail ambitions by providing expert technical management to Octopus’ assets and look forward to working together with our valued partners on many more projects to advance decarbonisation across France and beyond.”
Alex Brierly, Co-Head of Octopus Energy Generation added: “Travelling by train is already one of the cleanest ways to get around, and we’re proud to help put SNCF’s trains on an even greener track. We’ve already invested in over 30 solar and wind projects across France, and we’ll continue to steam ahead to power the country’s green energy future.”