21 December 2023

Nobian and PZEM have signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to purchase electricity from the Gemini offshore wind park in the Netherlands. 

Nobian will purchase 300 GWh of renewable energy in 2024, increasing to 500 GWh in 2025. The PPA equals around 10-15% of Nobian's annual electricity consumption, which is comparable to the consumption of 90,000-150,000 households. A total reduction of more than 500,000 tons of CO₂ emissions. 

The agreement is an important next step to achieve Nobian's goal of 100% renewable energy and carbon neutrality by 2040. 

Gemini Wind Park

Located in the Dutch North Sea 85 kilometers off the coast of Groningen, Gemini is one of the largest wind parks in the Netherlands and an important part of the renewable energy infrastructure. The total capacity of the wind park is 600 MW (150 wind turbines with a capacity of 4 MW each), good for an annual electricity production of about 2.5 TWh, and equivalent to the consumption of about 750,000 households. This represents a reduction of 1.5 million tons of CO₂ emissions. 

Nobian’s Energy Director, Johan Hospers: "This agreement with PZEM is an important next step on our path to carbon neutrality, with 100% renewable energy by 2040. We are committed to purchase electricity in the countries in which we operate. This renewable electricity from the Gemini wind park will be used in our salt production and electrolysis. This is an important contribution to making our products and energy use more sustainable as part of our 'Grow Greener Together' strategy”. 

Niels Unger, CEO PZEM: "We greatly appreciate Nobian's trust in PZEM. Electricity generation from renewable sources is growing rapidly. We aim for a balanced mix of different energy sources and are committed to continuous and sustainable growth in our production, supply and trading activities. We achieve this in part through long-term purchase agreements, such as the one with Nobian”.

Nobian on its way to 100% renewable energy and CO₂ neutrality 

The power purchase agreement with PZEM is an important next step for Nobian to achieve its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040. One of the ways Nobian intends to do this is by purchasing green energy and by further electrifying its manufacturing process. Earlier this year, Nobian already signed long-term agreements with Axpo and Shell and in a consortium with Heineken, Signify and Philips. Last month, Nobian signed a Joint Letter of Intent with outgoing Minister Adriaansens, as part of the tailor-made agreements with the Dutch government.

Balancing supply and demand  

Operator PZEM, the buyer and program responsible party of the electricity produced by Gemini, is responsible for balancing the production of the wind park and acts as the crucial link between renewable energy supply and demand. PZEM's ambition is to seamlessly match production and consumption of energy at the hourly level.