German rail giant Deutsche Bahn (DB) signs deal to power trains with offshore wind.

The company has confirmed the agreement with innogy SE and RWE Supply & Trading, which will see it supplied with green power from the offshore wind farm Nordsee Ost, located in the North Sea – the contract is claimed to be the first offshore wind Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed in the country.

DB says the contract will run for five years from 2024, noting it intends to gradually increase the amount of electricity it sources from renewable energy facilities in the future.

The deal covers a supplied volume of 25MW, roughly equivalent to the output of four wind turbines and 8% of the total production of the 295MW wind farm.

The train operator claims it is already the largest consumer of renewable electricity across the whole of Germany, supplying more than 57% of its energy requirements with green power – it promises this figure will rise to 100% by 2038.

Torsten Schein, CEO of DB Energie says: “Over the next few years, we will consistently replace expiring contracts based on fossil fuel generation with renewable energy.

“Before the end of September, we will start a further Europe-wide invitation to tender for the long-term purchase of green electricity.”