EDF Energy has signed a three-year supply agreement with Whitbread PLC, a major UK owner-operator of hotels and other hospitality businesses, to provide it with around 340GWh of energy from solar and wind sources.
The agreement forms part of Whitbread’s sustainability initiatives. The firm’s “Force For Good Sustainability Programme”, which has gained Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) validation, sets the target of reducing its scope 1 and 2 emissions 99.6% by 2040 and reducing scope 3 emissions by 90% by 2050.
Raghav Singh, director of large business at EDF Business Solutions, said: “We’re excited to work with Whitbread as their energy provider, reinforcing our position as a low carbon energy partner of choice to market leading organisations. We look forward to building on this new partnership, supporting Whitbread in their net zero ambitions.”
Dan Urwin, head of procurement – performance, corporate services, utilities, and IT at Whitbread added: “As a business that is committed to operating as a force for good, we’re delighted to partner with EDF to continue our longstanding commitment to renewable energy. Our guests really care about environmental issues and this partnership demonstrates our commitment to a more sustainable future”.
EDF energising the sector
EDF has been making major moves of late. Late last month, the electricity supplier launched a new tariff for electric vehicle (EV) drivers, which it claims is the cheapest on the market. This new tariff provides drivers with five hours of off-peak energy overnight for both their home and car, priced 10p lower than the standard variable tariff.
Just a week prior to this, the French firm launched a new tracker tariff that sits at £50 below the price cap set by energy regulator Ofgem. Tracking the price cap is also at the centre of EDF’s operations: it May 2024, it launched a new weekly price cap forecast service which allows all UK consumers, not just EDF customers, to see weekly updates to the UK energy price cap prediction.
Speaking at the time, Christopher Dalley, wholesale market services director at EDF said: “The uncertainty of energy prices has highlighted the need for tools that offer consumers clear, regular clarity and guidance.
“Energy prices change day by day, not once a quarter, so we are proud to launch this new service which gives customers up-to-date information to help them understand whether a deal is a good or bad one, and see the potential savings they could make by switching tariffs.
“We want to make energy simpler, cheaper and cleaner so by combining our energy market and forecasting expertise, this service will support customers in making the best decisions for their household.”
