Food and beverage company Nestlé in the U.S. has announced its investment in a solar project developed by Enel North America in Texas.
Called Ganado, the solar project is sited in Jackson County and spans more than 600 hectares, which is equivalent to around 850 football fields. According to Nestlé, its investment will add 208 MW of solar electricity to the U.S. power grid and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its operations.
Apart from its direct investment, Nestlé has committed to purchase 100 percent of the renewable electricity attributes generated by the energy production of the project, amounting to an average of 333 GWh per year for 15 years.
The company says it will use this renewable electricity to support the operations of many of its U.S. facilities that manufacture popular household brands, including Stouffer’s, DiGiorno pizza, Nesquik, Tidy Cats cat litter and Purina Pro Plan pet food.
Corporate level renewable energy power purchase agreements are helping spur capital development for utility-scale projects. Often with a renewable PPA, the power generated doesn't necessarily link directly to the corporate buyer, but the financial commitment helps developers fund projects and offsets the emissions profile of the customer's electricity use.
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The annual reduction in carbon emission offsets is anticipated to be around 126,294 tons of CO2, equivalent to the yearly emissions of more than 27,200 cars.
Nestlé aims to source 100-percent renewable electricity across its sites globally by 2025 and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“We are continuing to accelerate our work to make sure we produce and transport our products in a sustainable way,” said Kate Short, Chief Procurement Officer, Nestlé North America. “Not only will our investment in Ganado help reduce carbon emissions across our U.S. manufacturing sites, but we’re also proud that it will help expand the availability of renewable energy in the U.S., adding enough solar electricity to power about 24,574 homes each year.”
The investment in Ganado follows Nestlé’s 2020 investment in the Taygete I solar project in the U.S.
Enel North America is a green energy firm headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts.
