France-based Air Liquide has inked a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with China Three Gorges Renewables and China Three Gorges Corporation Jiangsu Branch, subsidiaries of China Three Gorges, one of China’s largest producers and retailers of renewable electricity, to buy an overall of 200 MW of renewable power for each year.
Following PPAs in the United States, Europe and South Africa, and several short-term renewable and low-carbon PPAs in China, this is the first long-term PPA signed by Air Liquide in China, according to the company.
The agreement highlights Air Liquide's pledge to lead the path in the energy transition and to lower its carbon footprint, in line with its ADVANCE strategic plan.
The renewable electricity will obtain from solar and wind farms located in the province of Jiangsu. The produced electricity will lessen by up to 120,000 tonnes the CO2 emissions on average per year compared to today’s emissions. This is equivalent to the electricity-related emissions of over 300,000 Chinese households.
This agreement, which will commence in January 2024, will permit Air Liquide to produce gases with a lesser carbon footprint at competitive prices and provide customers the ability to add more renewable content in their end products.
“As the first long-term PPA for renewable electricity signed by Air Liquide in China, this agreement represents a new significant step in the decarbonization of the Group's activities towards carbon neutrality. It will allow us to lower our carbon footprint but also to meet the growing demand from our customers for competitive low-carbon solutions. This is in line with our strategic plan ADVANCE, which inseparably combines financial and extra-financial performance.” Francois Abrial, Member of the Air Liquide Group’s Executive Committee supervising Asia Pacific, said.
