BT strikes renewable energy deal with new Kintyre wind farm

The telecoms giant has agreed a 10-year deal to buy electricity supplied by Blary Hill, a 14-turbine wind farm located to the east of Glenbarr, in Argyll and Bute, on the Kintyre peninsula.

The agreement adds to the three other windfarms in Scotland that supply renewable electricity to BT Group, including Fallago Rig, in the Scottish Borders; Stroupster, in Caithness; and Dalquhandy, in South Lanarkshire.

This deal supports BT Group’s ambitious plan to be a net zero carbon emissions business by the end of March, 2031, and a net zero business for its supply chain and customers by the end of March, 2041.

It is now one of the largest private buyers of electricity in the UK and has already made the switch to using 100% renewable electricity. The company’s networks and buildings are now all powered by renewable electricity.

Cyril Pourrat, chief procurement officer for the business, said: “As one of the largest private purchasers of electricity in the UK, this agreement supports our ongoing commitment to use 100% renewable electricity worldwide where markets allow and sends a clear signal to the market that renewable energy is key to reaching net zero in the UK by 2050.”

The electricity deal with Blary Hill has been agreed through a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with TRIG, a leading renewable energy infrastructure investment company.

TRIG has a portfolio of wind, solar and battery storage projects across six countries in Europe with aggregate net generating capacity of over 2.8gW; enough renewable power for 1.9m homes and to avoid over 2.4m tonnes of carbon emissions per annum.

Power purchase agreements help companies receive a supply of renewable power at an agreed price over the agreement term, and help to grow the overall supply of renewable electricity.

Blary Hill windfarm in Argyll and Bute has a 35mW capacity, consists of 14 Nordex 2.5mW turbines, and is managed by Renewable Energy Systems (RES), TRIG’s operations manager.