Russell Keating
Director of Sales, SSE Airtricity
Corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs) give Irish businesses greater long-term energy cost certainty, strengthen operational resilience and support investment in renewable electricity infrastructure.
Energy market volatility has reinforced an important lesson: future energy costs can no longer be taken for granted. Geopolitical events, international gas markets and wider system costs continue to shape what businesses pay for electricity.
For many organisations, the challenge is not simply about securing the lowest possible price today but securing greater certainty over future costs. That is one reason why CPPAs are attracting growing interest from large energy users across Ireland.
CPPA is fundamentally about certainty
Through a long-term agreement linked to renewable electricity generation, businesses can gain greater visibility over a portion of their future energy costs while supporting their decarbonisation objectives. In an environment where uncertainty remains a feature of global energy markets, that predictability has real value.
Importantly, CPPAs are not solely about sustainability credentials. While they undoubtedly contribute to net zero objectives, their growing appeal reflects a commercial reality. Businesses increasingly see energy procurement as a strategic decision connected to competitiveness, operational resilience and long-term planning.
The significance of CPPAs extends beyond the individual businesses involved
Value of CPPA in practice
A practical example is SSE Airtricity’s expanded Corporate Power Purchase Agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb in Ireland, which links a defined portion of electricity demand across the company’s Cruiserath, Plaza and Shannon sites to renewable electricity generated at SSE’s Mullananalt Wind Farm in Co. Monaghan.
The agreement gives Bristol Myers Squibb clearer traceability over part of its electricity supply through a named Irish renewable asset, while supporting long-term operational resilience and sustainability objectives. For large energy users, that is the value of a CPPA in practice: bringing together renewable electricity, greater visibility over supply and a more strategic approach to managing future energy needs.
Supporting Ireland’s renewable energy infrastructure
The significance of CPPAs extends beyond the individual businesses involved. They can also support investment in new renewable generation by providing greater revenue certainty for renewable generation projects. In that sense, they help align two important objectives: improving affordability and resilience for energy users while supporting the continued development of Ireland’s renewable energy infrastructure.
Businesses are no longer focused solely on what electricity costs today. Increasingly, they are rightly asking what it will cost in five, 10 or 15 years and what steps they can take now to reduce uncertainty. The growing interest in CPPAs reflects that shift in thinking. In a more uncertain world, certainty itself has become a form of value. For many Irish businesses, that is becoming just as important as the renewable electricity being supplied.
