EDP signs solar energy contract with GPA until 2026

By EDP

October 23, 2024

This is a machine translation of the press release originally published in Portuguese.

EDP, a company that operates in all segments of the electricity sector, has just signed a two-year contract with GPA, the retail group that owns the Pão de Açúcar and Extra brands, for the generation of solar energy using a shared distributed generation model. In total, 40 Minuto Pão de Açúcar stores located in the state of São Paulo will start receiving renewable energy credits.

The contract provides for the supply of 16.8 GWh (701.85 MWh/month), from 2024 to 2026, from photovoltaic plants located in the municipalities of Lorena, Santa Adélia, Leme, Pirangi and Iperó, in the interior of São Paulo. With the transaction, GPA should avoid the emission of 648.5 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the end of the contract.

This partnership strengthens GPA’s sustainability strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, one of the company’s priority areas of action. “Our goal is to increasingly evolve the environmental management of our businesses, seeking sustainable and efficient solutions, not only in the energy sector – as we are doing with EDP – but throughout the entire production chain. By opting to use energy from photovoltaic plants, we reinforce the importance of the energy transition to lower-impact, low-carbon sources,” explains Renata Amaral, GPA’s Sustainability Manager.

“The closing of this contract with one of the main groups in the food retail sector in Brazil reinforces our strategy of leading distributed solar generation and the energy transition in the country. We have invested in expanding our solar generation capacity, seeking to strengthen the package of renewable energy products available to our customers, and helping more and more companies decarbonize their businesses and have more sustainable operations”, says Carlos Andrade, Vice President of Customer Solutions at EDP in South America.

Investments in distributed solar generation

As part of its strategy to lead the energy transition, EDP has been investing in distributed solar generation in Brazil. By 2026, the company expects to reach an installed capacity of approximately 500 MWp, with annual investments of approximately R$600 million. EDP currently has 90 distributed solar power plants in Brazil, with a total installed capacity of 258 MWp. Of this total, 76 plants (209 MWp) are in operation, with 89 MWp dedicated to shared distributed generation. Another 14 plants (49 MWp) are under construction or awaiting energization.