TXU Energy inks wind, solar PPA with Texas pizza chain

Restaurant chain Houston Pizza Venture LLC has signed a contract to buy solar and wind power for its operations from retail electricity provider TXU Energy.

Houston Pizza Venture, which is one of the largest franchisees of Papa John’s Pizza in the US, will start receiving electricity under the nine-year power purchase agreement (PPA) from April 2018, the companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

Houston Pizza Venture has been using wind power to meet the entire demand of its over 85 stores since 2015. Starting next year, it will be using solar power as well and power almost 25% of its needs from TXU Energy’s 180-MW Luminant Upton 2 solar park in West Texas. The energy group’s parent Vistra Energy Corp (NYSE:VST) purchased the development project in May to diversify its power generation and offer renewable options to customers across Texas.

The 180-MW solar park is scheduled for commissioning next summer, Vistra Energy said on announcing the acquisition.

The PPA is part of a series of partnership agreements between Houston Pizza Venture and TXU Energy. The two companies say they have been collaborating for almost 10 years.

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