NEWS
Three in green energy deals
Three speciality chemicals companies signed agreements to source more renewable electricity for key sites in February . In Europe , Evonik concluded separate long-term power purchase agreements ( PPAs ) for solar and wind power , while Arkema signed multiple agreements covering four main sites in the US and Sasol and Air Liquide have concluded a third PPA in South Africa .
Under its new agreement with Swedish state-owned supplier Vattenfall , Evonik will source about 120 GWh / year of solar power for ten years from 2025 . This will come from two solar parks at Schleswig-Holstein at the northern tip of Germany , one of which is already complete .
The company subsequently signed a PPA with German energy firm RWE to buy 37.5 GWh / year of electricity from RWE ’ s Kaskasi offshore wind farm off Helgoland in the North Sea for ten years , starting in 2028 . This came into operation in early 2023 .
Evonik had concluded its first supply contracts for green electricity from wind power in 2022 and has a target of converting its externally sourced electricity to 100 % green by 2030 . The new agreement will take this proportion from 35 % to over 50 %.
Some expect demand for electricity partnerships between producers and industrial companies to increase in the coming years . According to a study by the German Energy Agency , the volume of PPAs in Germany could rise to 192 TWh , about 25 % of Germany ' s total electricity demand .
Meanwhile , Arkema has signed long-term renewable energy agreements that will mean that about 40 % of its power needs this year will come from renewable power . The company described this as a major milestone in the goal of reducing
Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 48.5 % from 2019 to 2030 .
Under these deals , Tennessee Valley Authority and Entergy are expected to supply about 35 GWh / year and 60 GWh / year of solar electricity to the sites at Calvert City , Kentucky , and Beaumont , Texas , respectively . 3Degrees will supply green e-certified renewable electricity certificates for the decarbonisation of approximately 57 GWh / year of electricity for those at Chatham , Virginia , and West Chester , Pennsylvania , plus all Bostik sites in the US .
In 2022 , Arkema had agreed to source all of the energy needs of American Acryl , a joint venture with Nippon Shokubai that produces acrylic monomers at Bayport , Texas , from wind power supplied by EDF Renewables North America . The year before , it and other companies at the Celanese site in Clear Lake , Texas , began taking about one thirds of its needs from solar power . The company produces acrylic acid and acrylic esters units there .
Finally , Sasol and Air Liquide have concluded three PPAs with Enel Green Power RSA for the long-term supply of 330 MW of renewable power to Sasol ’ s Secunda site in South Africa . This followed the signing of a third 110 MW PPA ; the first two were announced in January 2023 . It brings the total amount of renewable energy capacity the two firms have secured to about 690 MW , of which 430 MW have now achieved financial close .
The 330 MW wind facility , which is located close to Oyster Bay in the Eastern Cape , will be one of the largest windpowered facilities in Southern Africa and will supply more than 1,100 GWh / year of clean energy when they come onstream in 2026 .
6 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981