ACEN Australia has signed a deal to supply around 45% of BOC’s energy needs on the eastern seaboard through an Electricity Retail Agreement until 2035. This deal is made possible through a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Adelaide-headquartered renewable energy developer ZEN Energy and ACEN Australia. The PPA will allow ZEN Energy to secure 23% of the energy generated from ACEN Australia’s 400MW New England stage one solar PV power plant in New South Wales.
This deal is a significant step forward in the transition to renewable energy, as stated by ZEN Energy’s CEO, Anthony Garnaut. The agreement will help generate lower-carbon industrial gases at a competitive price, showcasing the opportunity to transition to renewable energy at scale.
The deal will also directly impact BOC’s goal to reduce its global emissions by 35% by 2035, particularly in reducing Scope Two emissions. According to BOC Australia’s CEO, Theo Martin, the deal will help the company’s customers become more efficient and decarbonize their operations by supplying industrial gases with a lower carbon intensity at a competitive price.
The New England solar PV plant, which started operations in March 2023, will add 320MW to its capacity in 2026. The plant will feature around one million solar PV modules and will be co-located with a 400MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). The project is located within the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) and near another solar-plus-storage proposal, the proposed 320MW Deeargee solar PV power plant.