Huhtamaki, a provider of sustainable packaging solutions, has signed a 12-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC. The 42 MW agreement for renewable energy covers approximately 30% of Huhtamaki operations’ current electricity demands in the United States and Mexico, where the company has 18 manufacturing units.
“We believe in protecting food, people and the planet,” says Thomas Guest, Deputy CEO of Huhtamaki. “This agreement marks an important milestone on our journey towards delivering on our ambitious 2030 sustainability agenda. The agreement builds on the European VPPA agreement announced late in 2021, which covers 80 percent of our European electricity usage.”
The renewable energy covered by the agreement will be sourced from a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources’ Inertia Wind Energy Center in the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) North Zone, in Texas. The approximately 300 MW project is expected to be operational by the end of 2022.
“We applaud Huhtamaki’s commitment to sustainability and are pleased to be able to support the company’s renewable energy goals,” states Matt Handel, senior vice president of development for NextEra Energy Resources. “This will also create significant economic stimulus for the local community, creating good jobs and additional tax revenue.”
“We have already taken a series of pioneering steps on our journey to a sustainable future, with the intent to reach carbon-neutral production by 2030 while optimizing usage of resources, including energy, water and waste,” mentions Thomasine Kamerling, EVP of sustainability and communications. “The VPPA enables us to make a significant leap forward in delivering on our ambitious sustainability agenda and Scope 2 emissions reduction target in line with our science-based targets. It also contributes to adding more green electricity into the U.S. energy mix.”
