A landmark deal has been ratified this week between Telenor and Statkraft, Europe’s most prolific renewable energy generator. This unprecedented 10-year onshore wind power purchase agreement (PPA) vows to secure Telenor’s Finnish subsidiary DNA with an alloting 85 GWh/year of renewable energy. This would mean an estimated 80% of the corporation’s yearly energy consumption would be powered by renewable sources.
Statkraft is offering this substantial power package from its newly planned wind farm, Palokangas, eagerly being constructed in the westernmost region of Finland, Ostrobothnia. Tentatively planned for operation towards the end of 2024, the site will boast 12 state-of-the-art wind turbines.
Jannicke Hilland, Executive Vice President for Telenor Infrastructure at Telenor Group, commented on the historic achievement. “Telenor is eager to facilitate the development of new renewable power infrastructures in our marketplace, this agreement solidifies our commitment to the decarbonization of our electricity supply and offers added protection against the volatility of energy prices.”
The fiscal details of the deal remain undisclosed. However, this partnership signifies an important step for Telenor in its journey towards a radical reduction in its Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions, targeting a decrease by 57% from 2019 to 2030.
Telenor Group has set ambitious carbon reduction targets across its global operations. Its Nordic businesses are scheduled for complete carbon neutrality by 2030. The targets for Telenor’s Asian businesses slightly differ, with goals of halving emissions by 2030 based on the figures from 2019.
This announcement induces a highly pertinent question within the telecommunication industry. Is the sector making expeditious enough efforts towards renewable energy and sustainability? Operators are set to debate this at this year’s Total Telecom Congress in Amsterdam.
