UK retailer Sainsbury’s has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with global asset management firm Capital Dynamics for 100% of the energy generated at its newly operational Pines Burn Wind Farm.
Located in the Scottish Borders, the 33.6MW power plant is made up of seven wind turbines and expected to generate 92,000MWh annually, meeting 8% of the supermarket’s annual energy needs across the UK.
In October last year, marking the eighth wind farm in Scotland that Sainsbury’s would procure from, the retailer stuck a similar deal with Capital Dynamics for the 50MW Longhill Burn wind farm in West Lothian. Both Longhill Burn and Pines Burn were developed by EnergieKontor before Capital Dynamics took ownership.
The PPAs form part of company’s sustainability strategy, ‘Plan for Better’, as Sainsbury’s aims to minimise its carbon footprint and promote environmental stewardship. According to Sainsbury’s director of property, procurement and EV ventures, Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s was the first UK retailer to start purchasing wind-generated energy directly.
He added: “Our commitment to the future of Pines Burn, which both enabled its construction and guarantees its long-term viability, builds on our proven track record of investing in sustainable technologies.”
Barney Coles, managing director and co-head of clean energy at Capital Dynamics, commented: “This commitment has been instrumental in bringing a new source of cost-effective clean energy to the UK’s grid. Strong corporate partnerships like Sainsbury’s are critical for advancing the UK’s position as a global leader in the renewable energy and for meeting national carbon reduction goals.
“We look forward to further collaboration with Sainsbury’s and other forward-thinking companies to accelerate the private sector’s role in the energy transition.”
Sainsbury’s sustainability
According to the companies, the electricity supplied from Pines Burn could provide electricity for over 3 million charging sessions at the supermarket’s ultra-rapid EV charging service, Smart Charge.
The Smart Charge network, launched in January 2024, has over 400 charging bays, supporting the fastest EV charging currently available on the market, providing a charge in as little as 30 minutes. Sainsbury’s powers the offering with 100% renewable energy.
In June, Smart Charge launched at its 50th location, half way to the retailer’s goal of rolling out the chargers at 100 of its locations by the end of 2024. During the same month, Sainsbury’s announced what it said would be the first EV charging service in the UK to offer a national loyalty scheme, rewarding customers with discounts via its loyalty card scheme, Nectar.