The Dow Chemical Co. says it has partnered with NRG Energy Inc. and NRG Yield Inc. to accelerate the development of cost-effective clean energy alternatives and to reduce carbon emissions by increasing its clean energy target from 400 MW to 750 MW by 2025.
This large-scale collaboration will provide sustainable, clean energy through a 10-year wind power purchase agreement from the 150 MW Goat Mountain I and II wind farms, which will power Dow’s Freeport, Texas, facilities.
The 11,000-acre wind farms are located in Coke and Sterling counties, north of San Angelo, Texas, and are part of the NRG renewable portfolio with 4,313 MW of wind and solar generation owned either entirely or in part by NRG or NRG Yield.
Launched in 2015, Dow’s original 2025 Sustainability Goals include a key performance indicator to use 400 MW of clean power. Dow met this target in just one year and, thus, is now resetting its goal to 750 MW.
“Dow is proud to be the first company in the United States to power manufacturing sites with renewable energy at this kind of scale and that we’ve become one of the largest corporate purchasers of wind energy in America,” says Neil Hawkins, Dow’s corporate vice president and chief sustainability officer.
Historically, Dow has utilized grid power, fossil fuels, natural gas, coal and oil to power its plants. However, with the change in market prices and policies, the company says it can now cost-effectively utilize renewable energy to help operate the plants and reduce its carbon footprint.
“This is a significant game-changer representing the increase of renewable energy to power Dow plants,” says Jack Broodo, Dow’s business president of feedstocks and energy. “Through cost-advantaged power, Dow is manufacturing materials through renewable energy in one of the largest-scale industrial partnerships in the world. In fact, at the 400 MW level, Dow is now in the top five industrial users of renewable power in the U.S.”
Dow currently supplies its Freeport, Texas, facilities with 350 MW of wind power annually, which is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power nearly 50,000 homes.
