MINNEAPOLIS, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- General Mills
has taken one of the biggest steps thus far toward its climate goal
by signing a virtual 15-year power purchase agreement with Roaring
Fork Wind, LLC, a joint venture partnership between RES (Renewable
Energy Systems) and Steelhead Americas, for 200 megawatts (MW) of
its Maverick Creek wind project. The wind project, located in
central Texas, will produce
renewable energy credits for General Mills that, together with the
company's previous wind power agreement, are calculated to equal
100 percent of the electricity used annually at the company's owned
domestic facilities. During the peak of construction, the project
is anticipated to create approximately 175 jobs in the clean energy
workforce.
"General Mills began its milling operations more than 150 years
ago with water power from the banks of the Mississippi River," said
John Church, chief supply chain
officer and global business solutions officer at General Mills. "By
learning from history, and tying back to our clean power roots, the
equivalent of our domestic facilities' annual electricity needs
will be covered by clean wind power, helping to reach our climate
commitment of decreasing our carbon footprint by 28 percent by
2025."
Maverick Creek is just 10 miles from Cactus Flats, the wind
project in General Mills' first wind energy purchase agreement. The
project is located in a particularly favorable wind area in central
Texas, which is the leading state
in the U.S. for wind energy production with over 24,899 MW of
installed capacity in that state alone.
General Mills' commitment to purchase green power from Roaring
Fork will help to finance the construction of the Maverick Creek
wind project being developed in Concho
County, Texas by RES and Steelhead Americas. The
project's renewable energy credits can be applied toward General
Mills' greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, and will enable the
company to reduce its Scope 2 emissions as part of its target of
sustainable emission levels across its global value chain by 2050.
Through 2018, General Mills has reduced the greenhouse gas
emissions of its extended value chain by 13 percent compared to its
2010 baseline.
"RES, in partnership with Steelhead Americas, is delighted to
support General Mills' effort to match 100 percent of the
electricity used at company-owned domestic facilities," said
Graham Reid, CEO for RES in the
Americas. "Delivering the Maverick Creek project brings RES
closer to fulfilling our vision where everyone has access to
affordable zero carbon energy."
The U.S. wind industry employs 102,500 workers across 50 states.
That figure continues to rise annually, with the number of people
employed by wind expected to top 248,000 by 2020. According to
Navigant Consulting, the wind industry is expected to deliver over
$85 billion in economic activity
during the same period.
"We're pleased to be a part of General Mills' commitment to
clean power, and proud that Maverick Creek is a fundamental part of
that commitment. Our strong partnership with RES ensures projects
like Maverick Creek will deliver clean, reliable, low cost wind
energy benefits to power America's energy economy," said
Chris Rogers, senior director at
Steelhead Americas.
General Mills is listed on the 2018 Dow Jones Sustainability
Index, and the 2018 CDP Climate A- List and Newsweek Green
Rankings (#34). For more information on General Mills'
ambitious climate commitment, visit its 2019 Global Responsibility
Report and the Taste of General Mills blog.
About General Mills
General Mills is a leading global
food company that serves the world by making food people love. Its
brands include Cheerios, Annie's, Yoplait, Nature Valley,
Häagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker,
Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai
Ferry, Yoki, Blue and more. Headquartered in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA,
General Mills generated fiscal 2018 proforma net sales of U.S.
$17.0 billion, including $1.3 billion from Blue Buffalo. In addition,
General Mills' share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales
totaled U.S. $1.1 billion.
About RES
RES is the world's largest independent
renewable energy company active in onshore and offshore wind,
solar, energy storage, and transmission and distribution. At
the forefront of the industry for over 35 years, RES has delivered
more than 16 GW of renewable energy projects across the globe and
supports an operational asset portfolio exceeding 5 GW worldwide
for a large client base. Understanding the unique needs of
corporate clients, RES has secured 1GW of power purchase agreements
(PPAs), enabling access to energy at the lowest cost. RES employs
more than 2,000 people and is active in 10 countries.
About Steelhead Americas
Steelhead Americas,
headquartered in Portland, Oregon,
is a wholly owned development subsidiary of Vestas. Through a
development and co-development pipeline of over 3,000 MW of wind
energy projects, Steelhead Americas aims to enable future growth in
the North American wind energy market. Vestas is the world's
largest wind turbine manufacturer and leading provider of wind
energy solutions, with over 101 GW of wind turbines installed in 80
countries.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/general-mills-to-match-100-percent-of-its-annual-us-electricity-use-with-new-wind-power-agreement-300835818.html
SOURCE General Mills