The contract, signed by DB subsidiary DB Energy, RWE subsidiary Innogy, and RWE Supply and Trading, is for 25MW, accounting for about 8% of the total capacity of the 48-turbine windfarm.
The contract is the first offshore corporate Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in Germany. The electricity will be produced by the wind farm for a fixed price and supplied directly to DB, while RWE Supply & Trading will assume the role of contractor and sales partner.
DB is planning to fully convert its traction power to environmentally-friendly sources by 2038, with 57% of traction already “green,” and says it is continuing the switch to renewable sources as current fossil fuel-based contracts come to an end.
Innogy currently supplies DB with 900 million kWh of power a year from its hydro plants, a contract it has held since 2011. DB currently requires around 10 terawatt hours of electricity per year, the same amount as a city the size of Hamburg.
“In September, we will launch another Europe-wide tender for the long-term purchase of green electricity,” says DB Energy chairman, Mr Torsten Schein.
