Transport for Greater Manchester has struck a long-term renewable electricity agreement designed to support the continued electrification of the Bee Network while giving the authority greater protection against future energy price volatility.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has agreed a 20-year renewable energy deal as it prepares for a significant increase in electricity demand across the Bee Network.
The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with renewable energy developer AGR Power will secure the equivalent of 42GWh of renewable electricity each year, providing long-term price certainty while supporting additional UK renewable generation.
Electricity covered by the agreement will be generated at AGR Power’s solar development at Burwell in Cambridgeshire and supplied into the National Grid. TfGM will secure an equivalent volume of renewable power at an agreed price under the long-term arrangement.
The annual volume is comparable with the electricity currently required to operate Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network and represents more than half of TfGM’s present overall energy consumption.
The agreement comes as the transport authority continues the transition of Greater Manchester’s bus fleet away from diesel.
Electricity requirements are expected to increase considerably as additional zero-emission buses enter service and charging facilities are installed across Bee Network depots.
Securing a long-term electricity supply is therefore becoming an increasingly important element of the region’s public transport decarbonisation programme.
The PPA also provides TfGM with greater certainty over future energy expenditure. Fixing the price of a significant proportion of its electricity requirements over an extended period can reduce its exposure to fluctuations in wholesale energy markets and other factors capable of driving sudden increases in electricity prices.
Further renewable energy agreements could follow as the Bee Network’s power requirements increase.
TfGM is considering additional PPAs as part of its longer-term plans, particularly as the transition towards an entirely zero-emission bus fleet increases demand from both vehicles and depot infrastructure.
The renewable energy programme forms part of Greater Manchester’s wider ambition to develop a carbon-neutral public transport network, with clean electricity increasingly supporting both its tram and bus operations.
Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council and Greater Manchester Portfolio Lead for the Green City-Region, said locally generated renewable energy offered both environmental and financial benefits.
He said the agreement would provide access to cleaner energy while helping protect against rising energy costs and ensuring more investment was retained within communities.
Ross added that securing renewable power over the long term would help future-proof the Bee Network while simultaneously supporting investment in new UK renewable energy infrastructure.
TfGM said its partnership with AGR Power reflects the organisations’ shared ambition to create a public transport system that is cleaner, more resilient and better prepared for the region’s future energy requirements.