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    Oatly achieved 100% Renewable Energy offset for North American plants in 2021

    April 4, 2022
    The oat drink manufacturer reached the milestone by sourcing renewable energy credits for the plants and working with local biodigester partners
    Image credit Oatly
    Oatly Choc Milk 624afbd70d9bb

    Swedish oat-based dairy products firm Oatly Group has announced that its Millville, New Jersey and Ogden, Utah production facilities sourced 100% renewable electricity for the first time in 2021.

    The firm sourced renewable electricity certificates (RECs) for the Millville plant from a local biodigester partner. This partner collects oat fiber residue from Oatly and combines it with other food waste to produce renewable natural gas. This gas is then, used to generate renewable electricity for supply to the local grid. Oatly purchased RECs equivalent to the electricity needed at the Millville facility for lighting, milling, mixing and refrigeration.

    The firm purchased RECs for its Ogden plant, equivalent to the electricity needed at the facility. These RECs were generated from 100% wind and solar power from Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, California, Washington as well as Utah. Oatly has also partnered another local biodigester that uses oat fiber residue to make renewable natural gas.

    Oatly North America’s Director of Sustainability Julie Kunen acknowledged the efforts at its Millville and Ogden facilities as significant milestones towards attaining the firm’s global sustainability ambitions. She added, “We want to lead by example, and that of course includes how we operate our production facilities.”

    The plant milk drink market neared $20 billion in annual revenue in recent years and is expected to doubt that by 2025, according to some forecasts. 

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.