Stockholm (NordSIP) – At the end of January, Arla and Better Energy announced they would be partner to establish four new solar parks. Better Energy is a renewable energy company focused on designing, developing, engineering, financing, building, operating and owning renewable power plants. Based in Visby, Denmark, Arla is the largest producer of dairy products in Scandinavia.
The partnership is part of Arla’s 2030 climate goal to reduce CO2 emissions from its operations by 63%, up from 30% previously. As part of this new climate strategy, Arla will become completely dependent on green electricity in Europe before the end of 2025. According to the agreement Arla commits to purchasing most of the power output from the parks for a decade. According to Better Energy, this collaboration is “the largest power purchase agreement in Danish history supplying new and additional subsidy-free green electricity to the grid.”
The parks will produce approximately 250 GWh, corresponding to the average annual energy consumption of 156,000 Danes. The agreement will cover about a third of Arla Denmark’s total electricity consumption.
“Already today, our nearly 300 organic farmers and our largest dairies use exclusively green electricity. The agreement with Better Energy is another step on the way to being self-sufficient in green electricity, and at the same time it is a way in which Arla can contribute directly to adding new green energy to the Danish power grid,” says Country Director at Arla Denmark, Helle Müller Petersen.
The four solar parks will all be located in Denmark. The first park will be built in Ebberup in Assens Municipality, while the final location of the remaining three parks is awaiting approval. The first solar power production from the parks is expected to start operating in early 2023, and all the parks are scheduled to supply electricity by the beginning of 2024. Better Energy owns and is responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of 280 hectares worth of solar parks.
“We are pleased that Arla has chosen to buy new green electricity that has a real effect on the green transition in Denmark. Arla has an extensive production infrastructure in Denmark, and it is evident that it must be operated with sustainable, fossil-free, Danish-produced electricity. There has been somewhat of a revolution in solar power in recent years, and it is both a positive development and a wise choice by Arla to think solar power into their value chains,” says Rasmus Lildholdt Kjær, CEO of Better Energy.