Circle K has signed a deal with EDF Renewables to power all of their locations in Ireland with solar power starting this Autumn.

The petrol station and convenience store owner operates 168 locations in Ireland, all of which will be powered by solar energy, along with their EV Charging Stations.

The corporate Power Purchase Agreement (cPPA) comes will see EDF Renewables’ solar farms in Wexford and Kilkenny power all Circle K locations from October 2024.

The deal, which lasts until 2036, also covers the EV Charging Stations located at 44 service stations nationwide.

Welcoming the announcement, Ciara Foxton, Managing Director, Circle K Ireland, said, “We are delighted to announce this agreement with EDF Renewables Ireland today.”

“As a business, we are committed to implementing environmentally sustainable practices across our operations and this agreement enables us to make real progress against this commitment.”

“Our company owned network of 168 locations serves the needs of 1.5 million customers weekly and for all of these locations to now be powered by 100% Irish renewable energy from October 2024 is significant for our business.”

Circle K has estimated that the shift to solar energy for their stores will help them save 7,570 tonnes of CO2 each year.

Circle K also operates EV charging stations at 44 locations around Ireland through partnerships with Ionity, ESB and Tesla.

The company is also rolling out its own brand EV Charge Points following a €7 million investment announced last year. This is expected to add chargers to another 30 service stations by 2025.

“Developing our EV charging infrastructure to support Ireland’s transition to electric vehicle usage has been a core focus of ours for several years now,” added Ciara Foxton.

“We are hugely excited that our EV charging infrastructure will also be powered using solar energy from October 2024 offering our customers access to renewable energy.”

EDF Renewables operates three solar farms at Blusheens, Coolroe and Curraghmartin which have a combined capacity of 17MW.

These were among the first utility-scale solar farms to operate in Ireland when they came online in March 2023.

Ryanne Burges, Director for Offshore and Ireland at EDF Renewables UK and Ireland, said, “We are pleased to have agreed our first cPPA in Ireland with Circle K, supporting them in their efforts to further decarbonise both their business and Ireland’s transport sector.” 

“As Ireland moves towards net-zero, cPPAs will play an increasingly significant role in driving the clean energy transition and providing an important route to market for renewable energy projects.”

“We are proud to partner with one of Ireland’s leading brands and look forward to providing them with a secure source of low-carbon power for many years to come.”

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