SNCF signs new PPA for French solar power

French rail network operator SNCF has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with developer Renewable Energy Systems (RES) for a 40MW solar plant in southern France.

Under the agreement, RES will supply SNCF with power from newly-constructed solar power plants for 15-20 years. The solar farms, located in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, are expected to be commissioned gradually in 2021-23. The sites will produce 60 GWh/yr, covering around 2pc of power consumed by SNCF's train traffic.

SNCF plans to sign more PPAs in the next couple of years to ensure 40-50pc of its train traffic power consumption — around 8 TWh/yr — comes from renewable sources. These PPAs could reach 3-5 times the capacity from SNCF's previous agreements, the firm said.

SNCF signed a PPA last June with French renewable energy producer Voltalia for three solar plants with a combined 143MW capacity. This, including the 40MW with RES, suggests SNCF could sign new agreements covering around 540-700MW of renewable capacity by 2022.

SNCF-RES is the sixth solar PPA signed to date in France. Airport operator Groupe ADP in February concluded a 21-year agreement with developer Urbasolar for three solar plants that are expected to generate a combined 47 GWh/yr.

By Bilal Muftuoglu