Agenda

Public sector bodies face a uniquely complex path to procuring renewable power. From strict procurement rules and CfD market distortions to rising PPA prices and tightening budgets, this session unpacks the real-world challenges public buyers encounter and how they are navigating affordability, fairness, and net zero commitments.

• The procurement and governance constraints that shape how public sector organisations can engage in the PPA market.
• The tension between the CfD and PPA markets, including pricing dynamics, bidder behaviour, and implications for public value.
• The evolving business case for public sector PPAs, balancing cost pressures, CPI-linked pricing, wholesale forecasts, and environmental and social value obligations.

1. Automotive: Hedging Renewable Price Volatility

Stabilise energy costs in automotive manufacturing despite fluctuating wholesale prices and PPAs — protect margins while meeting sustainability targets.

2. Pharma: Structuring PPAs That Work

How high-energy pharmaceutical sites can select and structure PPAs to balance regulatory compliance, cost certainty, and renewable sourcing.

3. Logistics: Cutting Scope 3 Emissions Across Supply Chains

Practical ways for logistics operators to track, reduce, and offset indirect emissions from fleets, warehouses, and distribution networks.

4. Public Sector: Simplifying ESG & Energy Reporting

Step through actionable approaches for universities, hospitals, and local authorities to meet RE100, SBTi, and evolving government reporting requirements.

5.  Data Centres: Onsite & Private Wire PPAs That Deliver

How data centres can leverage onsite generation and private wire solutions to cut energy costs, secure renewable supply, and achieve 24/7 carbon-free energy.

AR7 delivered record capacity but exposed a critical challenge for renewable developers: government-backed CfD auctions alone cannot meet the pace and scale required for net zero delivery. With strike prices rising (offshore wind at £90.91/MWh, floating at £216.46/MWh), growing competition for limited CfD budgets, and persistent auction delays, developers must diversify revenue strategies. This session explores how AR7's outcomes are driving increased reliance on Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) and hybrid revenue models, and what this means for positioning projects in AR8 and beyond.

• Rising strike prices, constrained budgets, and growing competition mean CfD support alone cannot sustain the renewable pipeline needed for UK net zero targets
• How CPPAs provide developers with additional revenue certainty, faster routes to market, and reduced dependency on auction outcomes and delays
• Combining CfD bids with corporate offtake agreements, optimizing project bankability, and adapting to evolving market dynamics and buyer demand

1. Technology: Maximising Impact with Hybrid PPAs

How tech companies can combine solar, wind, and battery solutions to optimise renewable portfolios, reduce costs, and accelerate net zero goals.

2. Steel: Emerging Low-Carbon Technologies

How steel producers can integrate geothermal, batteries, and other innovative solutions to reduce emissions, stabilise supply, and maintain production efficiency.

3. Manufacturing: Decarbonising Hard-to-Abate Operations

Practical strategies for manufacturers — chemicals, cement, and industrial production — to integrate renewables and hybrid PPAs to cut emissions and energy costs.

4. SMEs: Making Renewables Work Without Breaking the Bank

How small and medium businesses can access renewable energy, manage cost exposure, and scale sustainability initiatives with minimal complexity.

5. Retail & Consumer Goods: Decarbonising Distributed Operations

How retailers can cut emissions and energy costs across stores, warehouses, and distribution networks while maintaining operational flexibility.

Local elections can shift energy policy priorities, regulatory enforcement, permitting processes, and incentives, creating uncertainty for project developers and corporate buyers. Changes in political leadership may accelerate or delay renewables deployment, influence subsidies, and affect grid access, all of which have a direct impact on procurement strategies and revenue stability. This session examines how upcoming local elections could alter market conditions and explores practical approaches for managing policy-driven risk. • How local political cycles can influence energy policy, permitting, and incentives • Implications for corporate procurement strategies and PPA negotiations • Ways sellers and buyers can mitigate revenue risk and maintain project timelines • Examples where election outcomes have historically affected renewables markets

Many companies have committed to 100% renewable electricity, but meeting these targets is not straightforward. Limited control over their value chain, high demand for RECs, and emerging regulatory rules make procurement complex. This session explores the practical obstacles corporates face in sourcing credible renewable energy and aligning their strategies with ambitious ESG targets.

• The barriers to achieving 100% renewable goals, including value chain and supplier limitations
• How to strategically combine RECs and Green PPAs to secure credible supply
• Approaches to manage cost exposure, compliance risk, and greenwashing concerns
• Provide guidance on procurement strategies aligned with ESG commitments under evolving regulations

This session unpacks the essential elements of successful energy procurement, from crafting robust strategies and structuring PPAs for high-load operations like data centres, to understanding what drives infrastructure investment and how energy services are evolving to meet tomorrow's demands.

• What does good customer service look like in energy today?
• How we frame energy strategy for corporate clients
• An infrastructure investor's perspective on energy investments
• PPAs, data centres, and commercial operations
• How will energy services evolve?

Co-located Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are transforming renewable PPA economics by converting intermittent generation into firmer, higher-value delivery profiles. By storing excess energy and discharging during peak demand, BESS addresses solar cannibalisation, reduces curtailment, and enables premium pricing. This session explores commercial and contracting strategies from fully bundled hybrid PPAs to partial flexibility arrangements and examines how market characteristics determine the storage premium across different geographies.

• How to leverage co-located BESS to transform intermittent renewable output into firmer, higher-value delivery profiles by shifting energy to peak-demand periods, reducing cannibalisation and curtailment, and capturing premium PPA pricing
• How to structure hybrid renewable-storage contracts including fully bundled PPAs versus partial bundling approaches, and navigate the risk-return trade-offs for developers, offtakers, and financiers