BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball
Corporation (NYSE: BLL) today announced that it has executed two
virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) in Europe – one for the Corral Nuevo project with
wpd and one for the Brattmyrliden project with Falck Renewables –
for a total of 93.4 megawatts (MW) of additional wind energy. These
agreements are a testament to Ball's long-term commitment to
achieve and maintain 100% renewable energy in Europe and will allow the company to address
approximately 63% of the European electricity load utilized in its
aluminum beverage packaging plants (excluding Russia) with new renewable energy.
The wind developments in Spain
and Sweden will collectively
enable Ball to reduce its Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions
generated in Europe by
approximately 60% compared to 2019 – equivalent to the carbon
reduction that would be provided by removing more than 47,000
passenger vehicles from the road annually. Ball's commitment is to
address 100% of its electricity footprint in the region with clean
power. The company's regional strategy is to pursue PPAs when and
where they are available and attractive. To the extent Ball has not
achieved 100% clean energy in the region through PPAs, the company
is purchasing Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs). It recently
announced the purchase of EACs to fully cover its operations in the
European Union, Serbia and the UK through 2020.
"These milestone renewable energy deals in Europe affirm Ball's steadfast commitment to
reduce absolute carbon emissions within our operations and through
our value chain," said Kathleen
Pitre, chief commercial and sustainability officer.
"Both projects will allow us to address a substantial portion of
our European electricity use with new wind energy and accelerate
progress toward our recently approved science-based targets."
In 2019, Ball was one of the top ten corporate renewable energy
buyers in the United States. Last
April, the company announced it had executed a wind and a solar
VPPA for 388 MW of new renewable energy to address 100% of its
North American electricity load by 2021.
The VPPAs in Spain and
Sweden demonstrate Ball's
industry-leading efforts to quickly expand on its renewable energy
successes in North America as a
major force driving new clean energy growth in global markets.
Scheduled to come online in 2021, Ball's share of the Corral Nuevo
and Brattmyrliden wind projects will generate nearly 308,000
megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable electricity in Europe each year—equivalent to the electricity
load of approximately 10 Ball beverage packaging plants.
"Ball is demonstrating significant leadership expanding
Europe's emerging VPPA market,"
said John Powers, vice president of
strategic renewables for Schneider Electric, which assisted the
company in its project selection and negotiations. "By taking a
portfolio approach and executing two wind deals simultaneously in
two different countries, Ball is diversifying across geographies
and advancing innovation in the industry. We want to congratulate
Ball on this sustainability milestone and for furthering its
commitment to accelerate the global renewable energy
transition."
Ball is the first company in the can making industry to adopt
approved science-based targets, which seek to limit global
warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. By 2030, the
company aims to reduce absolute carbon emissions within its own
global operations by 55% and within its value chain by 16% against
a 2017 baseline.
The company recently achieved another first for global can
manufacturers by earning Aluminum Stewardship Initiative
Certification for all 23 of its EMEA beverage plants.
For more information about Ball's ongoing sustainability
efforts, please visit www.ball.com/sustainability.
About Ball Corporation
Ball Corporation supplies
innovative, sustainable aluminum packaging solutions for beverage,
personal care and household products customers, as well as
aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the
U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more
than 18,300 people worldwide and reported 2019 net sales of
$11.5 billion. For more information,
visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains
"forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial
performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates,"
"believes," "targets," "likely," "positions" and similar
expressions typically identify forward-looking statements, which
are generally any statements other than statements of historical
fact. Such statements are based on current expectations or views of
the future and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could
cause actual results or events to differ materially from those
expressed or implied. You should therefore not place undue reliance
upon any forward-looking statements and any such statements should
be read in conjunction with, and, qualified in their entirety by,
the cautionary statements referenced below. The company undertakes
no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise. Key factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual outcomes and results to be different are summarized in
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
Exhibit 99 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and
at www.sec.gov. Additional factors that might affect: a) our
packaging segments include product capacity, supply, and demand
constraints and fluctuations, including due to virus and disease
outbreaks and responses thereto; availability/cost of raw materials
and logistics; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution;
changes in climate and weather; footprint adjustments and other
manufacturing changes, including the startup of new facilities and
lines; failure to achieve synergies, productivity improvements or
cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging
laws; customer and supplier consolidation; power and supply chain
interruptions; potential delays and tariffs related to the U.K's
departure from the EU; changes in major customer or supplier
contracts or a loss of a major customer or supplier; political
instability and sanctions; currency controls; changes in foreign
exchange or tax rates; and tariffs, trade actions, or other
governmental actions, including business restrictions and
shelter-in-place orders in any country or jurisdiction affecting
goods produced by us or in our supply chain, including imported raw
materials, such as those related to COVID-19 and those pursuant to
Section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act of 1962 or Section 301
of Trade Act of 1974; b) our aerospace segment include funding,
authorization, availability and returns of government and
commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical
uncertainties affecting segment contracts; c) the company as a
whole include those listed plus: the extent to which
sustainability-related opportunities arise and can be capitalized
upon; changes in senior management, succession, and the ability to
attract and retain skilled labor; regulatory action or issues
including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety,
including U.S. FDA and other actions or public concerns affecting
products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used
in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; technological
developments and innovations; the ability to manage cyber threats
and the success of information technology initiatives; litigation;
strikes; disease; pandemic; labor cost changes; rates of return on
assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension
changes; uncertainties surrounding geopolitical events and
governmental policies both in the U.S. and in other countries,
including policies, orders and actions related to COVID-19, the
U.S. government elections, stimulus package(s), budget,
sequestration and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates
affecting our debt; and successful or unsuccessful joint ventures,
acquisitions and divestitures, and their effects on our operating
results and business generally.
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SOURCE Ball Corporation