Enercoop signs more solar PPAs in France

From pv magazine France

Enercoop has agreed to buy more solar capacity under three new power purchase agreements.

Its Enercoop Midi-Pyrénées unit signed one of the 30-year PPAs for 1.2 GWh of annual generating capacity. The group signed a second PPA with Energie Partagée and Changeons notre vision de l’énergie for 6.5 GWh per year. And it closed another deal with Valorem and other parties for another 6.5 GWh of solar per year.

Enercoop aims to have 90 GWh of annual PV generating capacity under its belt by 2023. Nicolas Postic, head of sustainable procurement at Enercoop, noted that PPA-linked PV projects have a complex economic model. But in France, this area is still underdeveloped, as only a few PPAs have been signed for renewable energy projects thus far, he said. PPAs are currently slightly above market prices in France, at €50 ($60.50)/MWh to €65/MWh, but given the absence of incentives, they should become more common, he added.

Voltalia has also signed PPAs signed in France. In May, the developer – which has 1 GW of operational generating capacity and a 7.1 GW development pipeline – signed a PPA with Boulanger Group for a 5 MW solar project. And in June, it signed a PPA with French railway operator SNCF for 143 MW of PV capacity. SNCF issued an expression of interest in 2017 under which it said that it aimed to source around 20% of its electricity from renewables by 2025.

In mid-September, La Poste Groupe announced plans to hold a tender for at least one corporate PPA for renewables or biogas. In addition, Akuo Energy and Qwant recently signed another PPA, although it is unclear whether solar was part of the deal.

In November, Enercoop issued a request for proposals to help it select solar and wind power projects, ranging up to 10 MW in size, under which it could sign long-term PPAs. Other entities in France are also seeking clean energy deals via similar tenders.