From the beginning of 2023, part of DSB's properties will be supplied with green electricity from a new solar park. This is the result of a new Power Purchase Agreement between DSB and Better Energy. The agreement is an important step in the right direction for DSB to become CO2-neutral by 2030.
When the lights are switched on at Aarhus Railway Station, Copenhagen Central Station and Fredericia Railway Station in the beginning of 2023, the power will be covered by the green electricity DSB has secured in a new agreement with Better Energy.
The agreement means that from January 1st 2023, DSB will offtake 5 GWh (or 5,000 MWh per year). This covers approximately 10 percent of the power consumption for DSB’s buildings, and it will cover the power consumption for three of Denmark’s largest railway stations.
Aske Wieth-Knudsen, Vice President for Sustainability at DSB, says:
“We are very pleased with the new agreement between DSB and Better Energy. We want to actively accelerate the green transition in Denmark and aim to become a CO2-neutral company by 2030. With the agreement, we contribute to a faster transition to green electricity in Denmark, thus emphasising the train's position as one of the most sustainable forms of travel,” whilst adding:
“We have declared a goal of continuously performing climate and environment improvements for DSB, as well as contributing to a reduction in the transport sector's overall environmental and climate impact. The new power purchase agreement supports this goal and is a small but important step on our journey towards covering DSB's energy consumption with renewable energy.”
The agreement means that Better Energy will build a new Danish solar park. The solar park will be built in Stevning near Sønderborg and completed during 2022. With a capacity of 35 GWh, the solar park will supply green electricity corresponding to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 22,500 Danes. In addition, the solar cells will be established on market terms without subsidies.
“The railway is one of the most sustainable modes of transport. But there is still considerable room for improvement. DSB demonstrates this by entering into a power purchase agreement with Better Energy to offtake electricity from a new solar park. It is an active choice that contributes to greening our grid with new renewable energy capacity whilst DSB, as part of their sustainability strategy, also convert to green energy”, says Rasmus Lildholdt Kjær, CEO of Better Energy.
Inspired by ATP Ejendomme
DSB’s power purchase agreement was entered into with inspiration from ATP Ejendomme, which announced a similar agreement with 7 GWh from the same solar park in 2021.
ATP Ejendomme’s ESG manager, Peter Hebin Bruun is pleased to inspire green change:
"We are the first of the country's major property owners to enter into an agreement on Danish solar power, and we are pleased that DSB, as a key player in the transport area, is now entering into their own agreement using the same model. It sends a strong signal to the market when we both choose to actively contribute to increasing the share of renewable energy in the Danish electricity supply."
