Amsterdam, the Netherlands – AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, DSM, Google and Philips have started receiving power from the Bouwdokken wind farm in the Netherlands – a milestone achievement resulting from a unique green energy purchasing consortium they jointly established. All four companies consume a substantial amount of power in the Netherlands, and by working together they are making a significant contribution to delivering on the Netherlands’ renewable energy target of 14% by 2020.
In October 2016 and January 2017, the companies signed two long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) that enabled construction of two Dutch wind farm projects – Krammer and Bouwdokken. These wind farms, both of which are located in the southwest of the Netherlands, have a total capacity of over 140 MW, enough to power approximately 140,000 households.
It is the first time that a group of multinationals in the Netherlands have teamed up to negotiate long-term PPAs directly with project developers, bypassing the involvement of an energy utility company. The Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Business Renewables Center, a leading independent authority on sustainability, says the consortium is among the earliest examples of aggregated corporate demand successfully participating in clean energy markets worldwide.
“This marks the next big step towards a new way of supplying energy for Dutch industry,” said Marcel Galjee, Energy Director at AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, on behalf of the consortium. “We brought together a group of companies that is united in its sustainability leadership. We believe it is of utmost importance to join forces and come up with innovative partnerships to achieve the sustainability goals of our companies as well as those set out in the Paris climate agreement.”
Harry Coorens, VP Procurement Sustainability at Royal DSM added: “The collaboration and progress as shown in this initiative is well recognized outside the Netherlands. I receive questions from all over the world to explain this success story. It is a prime example to show an industry drive and collaboration that supports a mutual goal; creating a cleaner environment for people today and generations to come. Looking back historically, it’s interesting to note that this project was developed near the Delta Works, another visionary feat that is highly regarded outside the Netherlands.”
Marc Oman, EU Energy Lead, of Google Global Infrastructure said: "In 2017, Google purchased enough renewable energy to match 100 percent of our consumption for global operations. Success with this consortium plays a meaningful part in our global clean energy plans, and as a company, we are continuing to push innovation for corporate renewable energy procurement.”
