Heineken Spain has entered into an agreement with energy supplier Iberdrola for purchasing 100% renewable electricity for its breweries and offices in the country.
The long-term power purchase agreement involves the construction of a new solar photovoltaic plant in Andévalo in Southern Spain, which will supply electricity exclusively to Heineken.
Commenting on the deal, Ángeles Santamaria, CEO of Iberdrola España, said, "PPAs (power purchase agreement) will set the standard for the world's energy future. Renewables have proven their competitive advantage and ability to supply power at affordable, stable prices."
Green electricity generated by the new plant will help the brewer in reducing its CO2 emissions by 100,000 tonnes annually.
This will be a 'major milestone' for Heineken towards its goal of achieving a 100% carbon neutral status by 2023, the company said.
'Commitment To Sustainability'
Guillaume Duverdier, managing director of Heineken Spain, added, "This initiative reaffirms Heineken Spain’s commitment to sustainability, as well as our industry leadership position in the drive towards renewable energy usage in Spain.
"After covering all our breweries’ electrical requirements, we will be replacing our existing gas boilers with ones that use biomass to be able to brew beer using only renewable energy by 2023."
The Solar Project
The solar plant will have an installed capacity of 50MW and will generate 82 GWh of electricity per year.
Scheduled to be operational by October of this year, the project will also create around 200 new jobs for the local community.
The initiative in Spain is part of Heineken International’s global sustainability strategy – Brewing a Better World.
Presently, the brewer has 29 renewable energy projects underway around the world, focussing on harnessing the power of wind and solar energy, biomass or biogas.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
