Network Rail has taken is first steps towards powering all its offices, depots and managed stations with renewable electricity after signing a deal with renewable energy company
wRWE to supply around 65% of its non-traction electricity from one of its offshore wind farms. The ‘corporate power purchase agreement’ (CoPPA), Network Rail’s second within a year, will deliver 300GWh of renewable electricity annually over five years.
Power, which will be supplied from RWE’s Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm some 15 miles off the coast of North Wales in the Irish Sea, will help Network Rail reduce its carbon emissions by around 168,000 tonnes of CO
2e and marks a significant step towards Network Rail’s ambition to have all non-traction electricity used across its offices, depots and all of its 20 managed stations sourced from sustainable energy by 2030.
Paul Marshall, Network Rail’s chief financial officer, said: “This contract marks a significant step forward in our transition to renewable energy. Rail is already one of the most sustainable ways to travel, but we recognise there is much more we can do. As we move towards Great British Railways, this deal underlines our commitment to reducing carbon emissions and building a more integrated, sustainable rail network, not just for the millions who rely on it today, but for future generations.”
The agreement forms a key part of Network Rail’s
Greener Strategy, which sets out its plans to achieve a sustainable railway, and follows a CoPPA signed with EDF Renewables in 2025, which secured 64GWh of clean energy per year from a new solar farm currently under construction.
Together, the two agreements will provide around 80% of the organisation’s non-traction electricity from renewable sources. Electricity from RWE’s Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm, commissioned in 2015 and consisting of 160 wind turbines with a total capacity of 576MW, will begin powering Network Rail’s offices, stations and depots from 1 April 2027.