Telia signed long-term arrangements for renewable energy supplies that are designed to power its networks and operations in Denmark and Estonia over the coming years.

The Sweden-based operator group entered into a ten-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Better Energy in Denmark, and a five-year PPA with Eesti Energia in Estonia.

Initial objectives include that 75 per cent of the electricity used by Telia Denmark’s joint network with Telenor will be powered by solar cell-produced electricity by 2024. In addition, 70 per cent of Telia’s electricity needs in Estonia will be produced by wind by the end of 2022.

Telia noted that the PPAs enable it to both secure future access to renewable electricity and contribute to the production of renewable wind and solar energy. The group already claims to be using 100 per cent renewable electricity for its network infrastructure in all markets.

Rainer Deutschmann (pictured left), group chief operating officer at Telia Company, observed that moving into the PPA space is an important step towards achieving sustainable operations long-term, “while providing certainty to both energy producers and us as a buyer”.

Telia added that the shift to renewable electricity has contributed to a 78 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the company’s own operations, compared to 2018. The group also aims to create a “climate-neutral value chain” by 2030.

At MWC Barcelona 2022 in February Telia CEO Allison Kirkby expressed a desire to be the world’s first operator to go beyond current sustainability goals by employing digital technologies to deliver a positive impact on the environment rather than just halting the damage of the past.

“I wouldn’t mind being the first climate-positive operator in the world actually,” Kirkby told Mobile World Live in an interview, predicting the world is “about to go into the era of the convergence of digital and energy, and we’re doing some pretty cool stuff in that area.”