KPN's network will run largely on new wind farm in 2027
KPN is taking a major step forward in its sustainability strategy. More than 50% of the electricity that KPN will consume from 2027 will then come from the wind farm Hollandse Kust (west) VI, the new wind farm in the North Sea that will be built in the coming years. KPN has signed a 15-year agreement with Eneco, which won the tender for the wind farm together with Shell in the Ecowende joint venture.
As of 2027 KPN will purchase more than 200 GWh (gigawatt hours) of electricity on an annual basis from the new wind farm, which will be located more than 50 km off the Dutch coast near IJmuiden. The unique thing about this contract is that Eneco supplies the green electricity to KPN 'as nominated'. This means that KPN actually purchases the green electricity production from the wind farm when the wind blows. When there is no wind, other solutions can be used, such as storage or solar energy. KPN has opted for this contract because it considers it important that the electricity it uses is actually produced sustainably at that time.
Joost Farwerck, CEO KPN: “The world around us is changing rapidly, we are in the middle of the energy transition to a fossil-free future. This also means that we have to make long-term commitments to using sustainable sources for our energy. We are pleased that with this agreement we are continuing to build on our sustainability strategy in which we move towards the right energy at the right time. In the coming years, we have planned a number of major moments on the way to a circular and fossil-free company. 2027 will be a very important year in this respect, when almost all our customers will be using internet via our sustainable and efficient fiber network. This collaboration, with which we feed the network with energy from wind, fits in perfectly.”
As Tempelman, CEO Eneco: “We are proud of this new chapter in many years of cooperation with KPN. With the supply of green electricity from Hollandse Kust (west) VI, we help KPN to realize its climate ambitions. At the same time, KPN enables us to invest in offshore wind farms. By working together in this way, we are strong in accelerating the energy transition and we are working towards a climate-neutral future.”
KPN's fixed and mobile networks have been running on green electricity since 2011 and KPN has been climate neutral since 2015. In recent years, KPN has also taken significant steps to reduce energy consumption. For example, KPN's absolute energy consumption fell by 45% since 2010, while data consumption increased approximately 24x in the same period. Until 2030, KPN wants to save at least another 10%. At the same time, KPN has formulated circular ambitions and set a target to reduce emissions throughout the value chain to net zero by 2040.