Borealis signs agreement with sustainable energy supplier Eneco, significantly boosting share of renewable energy used in its Belgian operations

Borealis has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Eneco to source renewable electricity from Mermaid. The agreement entails the purchase and supply of over 1000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of wind power over the next decade, with delivery to begin in January 2021. 

By increasing the share of renewable power in its overall energy consumption at its Belgian production facilities, Borealis moves closer to its stated aim of sourcing at least 50% of its electricity consumption from renewable sources for its Polyolefins and Hydrocarbon & Energy business areas by 2030. The renewable electricity generated within the framework of this agreement will reduce Borealis’ indirect carbon dioxide emissions (defined as Scope 2 emissions by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol) at its Belgian operations by approximately 20000 ton/year. 

Eneco will supply green energy directly from Mermaid, the newly built offshore wind farm in the North Sea. With 28 Siemens turbines, this wind farm boasts a total capacity of 235 MW. Once fully operational at the end of 2020, Mermaid will produce sustainable energy to power the equivalent of 230,000 Belgian households each year. Eneco has an exclusive agreement with Mermaid to procure the green energy it generates.

The Borealis agreement is the third Corporate PPA (C-PPA) Eneco has closed in Belgium. This makes Eneco an experienced partner in the field of sustainable energy supply through corporate PPA's. The company is currently drafting additional corporate agreements with other clients in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK.

“Thanks to this agreement with Eneco, Borealis is moving closer to achieving the ambitious Energy & Climate targets we have set forth in our strategic sustainability framework,” explains Martijn van Koten, Borealis Executive Vice President Base Chemicals and Operations. “The Eneco PPA is the most recent example of how we are doing our part to bring about a carbon-neutral future while at the same time remaining competitive in the global marketplace. This is how we re-invent for more sustainable living.”

“At Eneco, we focus not only on making our own business operations sustainable, but in helping other companies make theirs more sustainable as well,” says Jean-Jacques Delmée, CEO of Eneco Belgium. “By joining up in agreements such as this one, we can accelerate the energy transition. We are pleased and proud to be supporting Borealis in their switch to a sustainable, smart and clean energy supply in Belgium.”