Nestlé has announced a 15-year wind power purchase agreement (PPA) that will provide approximately 80% of the electricity load for five Nestlé facilities in southeastern Pennsylvania.
EDP Renewables’ (EDPR) Meadow Lake VI wind farm in Indiana will generate and deliver 50 MW of electricity through the PJM Interconnection grid to manufacturing facilities and distribution centers operated by Nestlé Purina PetCare, Nestlé USA, and Nestlé Waters North America in Allentown and Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Because the wind farm and the recipient facilities are located on the same regional grid, the PPA provides traceability from the Pennsylvania facilities back to the wind farm, the partners note. With the addition of the energy from the project, 20% of the electricity Nestlé uses in the U.S. will come from renewable sources in 2019.
“Our partnership with EDP Renewables propels us forward in our ambition to create zero environmental impact by 2030 and is another example of our business transformation journey,” comments Kevin Petrie, chief supply chain officer at Nestlé USA.
EDPR will expand the capacity of its Meadow Lake VI wind farm, which is located in Benton County, Ind. The expansion will add 50 MW, enough to power approximately 17,700 homes for one year, to the existing 150 MW EDPR has already secured for the project. Construction on the expansion project will begin in the next two months, and the facility will be fully operational at the end of this year. With the completion of the wind farm, the six-phase Meadow Lake project will total 800 MW.
“This power purchase agreement enables EDP Renewables to further expand our presence in Indiana, the state in which we are the leading producer of wind energy,” says João Manso Neto, CEO of EDPR. “EDP Renewables is proud to partner with Nestlé to help in achieving its forward-looking goal of obtaining all of its energy from renewable sources.”
