EDF Renewables North America Signs Virtual Power Purchase Agreement with Nucor Corporation

SAN DIEGO (Nov. 13, 2020): EDF Renewables North America and Nucor Corporation, a diversified steel and steel products company, today announced the signing of a 15-year Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) for 250 megawatts (MWac) of solar energy in Texas.

The project, selected by Nucor under a competitive RFP process, is expected to begin delivering clean electricity in Q2 2023.  The agreement marks the first solar power purchase agreement for Nucor and the largest of its kind for the steel industry.

Construction is expected to commence in Summer 2022, creating hundreds of construction-related jobs during its peak. The local community will benefit over its operating life through land lease, tax, and other payments. The expected electricity generated at full capacity is enough to meet the consumption of nearly 50,000  average Texas homes¹.

“EDF Renewables is pleased to partner with Nucor and help them with their sustainability initiatives in a cost-effective manner,” said Ryan Pfaff, Executive Vice President, Grid-Scale Power at EDF Renewables. “Nucor’s decision to procure solar energy allows this project to move forward into construction, which will provide an economic boost to the local economy through new construction jobs and expanded tax base.”

“Nucor is one of the most efficient and cleanest steel producers in the world, and we are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint. That is why we are proud to make our production process even cleaner by supporting the development of this solar energy project,” said Leon Topalian, President & CEO of Nucor Corporation. “We are already North America’s largest recycler, and supporting the addition of more clean power to the regional grid via this agreement further demonstrates Nucor’s commitment to sustainable steelmaking.”

With 35 years of experience and 16 gigawatts (GW) of renewable projects developed throughout North America, EDF Renewables provides a fully integrated bundle of energy solutions from grid-scale wind, solar, and solar plus storage projects to electric vehicle charging and energy storage management.

¹ According to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2018 Residential Electricity Sales and U.S. Census Data

Back to Archives