Deutsche Bahn (German Rail – DB) will continue to steadily increase its purchase of electricity from renewable energy sources in the coming years. The relevant agreements for the supply of green power from the offshore wind farm Nordsee Ost between DB Energie GmbH, innogy SE and RWE Supply & Trading have been signed. The contract will run for five years, beginning in 2024. The supplied volume comprises 25 megawatts, which is the equivalent of four wind turbines. That is eight percent of the total production of the wind farm, which consists of 48 turbines with a total of 295 megawatts.
Deutsche Bahn is already the largest green-power consumer in Germany, and the company has set itself even higher goals for the environment and the climate with its new “Starke Schiene” corporate strategy. By 2038, the entire rail power consumed by DB will be 100 percent green. The company already covers over 57 percent of its energy requirements with energy from renewables.
The share of green power in the rail power mix of DB is drawn from a broad portfolio. For example, innogy hydropower plants have been supplying DB with around 900 million kilowatt hours of green power annually since 2011. The company’s annual energy requirement is around ten terawatt hours, equivalent to the energy consumption of a city the size of Hamburg.
This contract is the first offshore wind Corporate PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) in Germany. The power is produced at the offshore wind farm for a fixed price and is used directly by Deutsche Bahn. RWE Supply & Trading acts as the contract and retail partner.
Torsten Schein, CEO of DB Energie says: “Over the next few years, we will consistently replace expiring contracts based on fossil-fuel generation with renewable energy. Before the end of September, we will start a further Europe-wide invitation to tender for the long-term purchase of green electricity.”
Hans Bünting, COO Renewables innogy SE: “This is a win-win deal for all parties involved. From 2024, Deutsche Bahn will run climate-friendly trains with green electricity from our Nordsee Ost offshore wind farm. After the reduction of state subsidies, we are pleased to have agreed commercial terms for the supply of electricity from the first turbines at our wind farm and created scope for further investment in this way.”
Andree Stracke, CCO RWE Supply & Trading explains: “RWE has been supplying Deutsche Bahn for many years with green electricity from hydropower stations. With this new agreement we want to contribute towards our long-term partner achieving their ambitious climate protection targets. Combining our expertise in industrial and municipal customers with the producers of renewable energy offers both sides huge opportunities for the future.”
DB Energie GmbH
DB Energie GmbH is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG. With around 1,700 employees, the company supplies 20,000 trains with electrical energy every day via a 7,900-km, 110-kV high-voltage grid. In addition to the 16.7-Hz rail power network, DB Energie GmbH supplies around 5,400 train station networks as well as the direct current supply systems for the Berlin and Hamburg city train networks in its role as network operator. The rail power network is supplied by over 50 power and inverter stations from all over Germany. With turnover of €2.8 billion and a sales volume of 25 TWh, the Frankfurt company is the fifth-largest energy provider in Germany. www.dbenergie.de
Renewables at innogy
We plan, build and operate plants to generate power and extract energy from renewable sources. Part of our portfolio are wind and hydro power plants as well as solar and biomass plants. Currently, we are particularly strongly represented in our home market, Germany, followed by the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland and Italy. Our aim is to expand renewables worldwide, both on our own and working with partners. We believe that working together in this way is the key to making the energy transition a success. innogy is one of the major operators of offshore and onshore wind energy in Europe. In addition to wind power, we also want to grow utility-scale solar power plant. In addition to our core markets, we are already active in new markets such as the USA, Australia and Canada.
Please find further information on PPA at innogy here: https://innogy.com/power-purchase-agreement
RWE Supply & Trading
RWE Supply & Trading GmbH is a subsidiary of RWE AG with a workforce of around 1,300. Located in Essen, Germany, it is a leading European energy trader and hub for all tradable commodities including gas, coal, oil and power. Its portfolio also includes emission certificates, freight, weather derivatives and biomass. The Company is responsible for the commercial optimization of RWE’s entire non-regulated gas business and offers large industrial companies and trading partners trading-based portfolio management, long-term supply concepts and risk management solutions.
(Source: DB)
