CTT - Correios de Portugal and EDP have just signed a strategic partnership for the installation of solar energy production plants in more than 40 locations.

These parks will be used to supply renewable energy to CTT's facilities and, as most locations have more available space than needed to power those facilities, energy communities will also be created so that families and businesses can also share this renewable electricity and benefit from real savings on their bills.

The members of these Solar neighbourhoods - the name given by EDP to local energy communities - will experience electricity savings of up to 35%. In addition to providing their buildings with sustainable energy and being able to share it with the surrounding population, this business will generate significant savings for CTT and reduce dependence on the energy grid.

For CTT, this partnership brings significant energy savings and is an important step in the Company's decarbonization strategy. These facilities will have an annual production of 8.8GWh that will contribute to avoid more than 1,600 tons of CO2 emissions. The participation in the Solar Neighbourhood’s project is also further proof of CTT's enormous capillarity and proximity to the populations, since it is this proximity that enables the generation of energy that will supply the Solar neighbourhoods.

Families and companies in the immediate surroundings of the chosen CTT locations can join these Solar neighbourhoods. EDP will invest in, maintain and operate the panels, as will the entire process of recruiting neighbours and managing this community. The list of locations is available at edp.pt.

This is the first EDP Comercial project with several energy communities installed simultaneously in a single customer, helping to accelerate the development of renewable energy in Portugal. Solar production distributed in small plants is an essential component in achieving national decarbonization goals. Overall, about 12,000 solar panels will be installed in mainland Portugal, with a combined installed capacity of 6MWp and an area equivalent to six soccer fields.

According to João Bento, CTT's CEO, "we are extremely proud to ally our company with EDP Comercial in this initiative. Sustainability is extremely important to CTT, and we couldn't fail to participate in a project that unequivocally reflects our values. We seek to reduce our carbon footprint, not only through our portfolio, but also through partnerships such as the one we have now signed with EDP and which, we believe, marks the beginning of a close cooperation for a common goal: promoting a more sustainable world and supporting families and businesses.”

“We believe that this project will be a major step towards democratizing access to solar energy and, therefore, in promoting a fair energy transition. This is a very interesting business model in that sense, promoting not only the consumption of solar energy, but also generating interesting savings for both those who produce and those who consume. By joining these communities, families and companies are joining EDP and CTT to contribute to a more sustainable country", says Vera Pinto Pereira, Executive Director of EDP.

EDP Solar neighbourhoods are communities of locally produced renewable energy that will benefit their members - the Producers and Neighbours. The solar panels are installed in spaces provided by producers with no associated investment and the energy produced is distributed to all: the producers and the neighbours of this Solar Neighbourhood. Thus, everyone benefits from a discount on their bills and contributes to a more sustainable world. This is one of the growth axes of EDP, which, by mid-decade, aims to have more than 2GW installed in the homes of families and companies in the various countries where it operates.

Sustainability is a fundamental pillar in CTT's strategy, with three environmental goals already established: to operate until 2025 with 50% electric vehicles in the last mile and, for that, the Company has made a strong investment in the alternative renewal of our road fleet, the largest in the national logistics sector, with over 400 fully electric vehicles, also inaugurating the first fully 'green' Delivery Centres. Furthermore, the company expects to use only exclusively recycled or recyclable packaging, promoting responsible consumption. Finally, CTT expects to reach the net zero goal by 2030.