BOC Australia has signed a 10-year electricity retail agreement with Zen Energy that will see more than 45 per cent of its grid power in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria replaced with solar energy by 2035.
The agreement — struck with renewable retailer ZEN Energy and supported by a power purchase arrangement with ACEN Australia — covers BOC’s energy needs on the eastern seaboard and includes the purchase of around 23 per cent of the output from ACEN’s 400 MW New England Solar project in NSW.
“This agreement supports Linde’s global target to reduce its Scope 2 emissions by gradually increasing our use of renewable energy,” BOC Australia’s Theo Martin said.
“In addition to lowering BOC’s emissions in Australia, it will also help our customers become more efficient and decarbonise their operations by supplying industrial gases which have a lower carbon intensity at a competitive price.”
BOC is a subsidiary of Linde, a global leader in industrial gases and engineering, which is aiming for a 35 per cent reduction in emissions by 2035.
ZEN Energy CEO Anthony Garnaut described the deal as “the transition to renewable energy in action and at scale.”
“Such big steps forward for industry sustainability and emissions reduction would not be possible unless a genuine partnership between BOC, ACEN Australia and ZEN was involved,” he said.
“BOC is ZEN’s first global customer. This demonstrates great confidence in our business model and our strategy.”
ACEN Australia’s David Pollington said the agreement marks another key milestone for the New England Solar project, which also features the first large-scale battery storage development in the region.
“We are excited by this offtake with ZEN Energy, enabling us to bring more renewable energy projects to life and clean electricity for Australian homes and businesses while reducing the need for electricity that would otherwise be sourced from generators with higher emissions intensity,” he said.
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