Setting Records, Walmart Continues Moving Toward Becoming a Totally Renewable Business
April 29 2021 - 9:39AM
Business Wire
Walmart’s Mark Vanderhelm, VP of Energy and Facilities
Management released the following note Thursday:
Doing what’s right for the future of our planet means making
major change. That’s why we’ve committed to becoming a regenerative
company powered by 100% renewable energy in our own operations by
2035, and are investing in the technologies of tomorrow, today – so
each step toward our goal prioritizes renewable, restorative
operations.
We’re pleased to announce that in collaboration with ENGIE North
America, more than 500 megawatts (MW) of new renewable energy
generation capacity are now operational across three separate wind
projects. Together, these projects are expected to supply renewable
energy annually to hundreds of stores, clubs and distribution
centers across three U.S. states: Texas, South Dakota and Oklahoma.
This is enough renewable electricity to power more than 240,000
average American homes for an entire year.
According to the American Clean Power Association, as a result
of these transactions, Walmart procured the most wind energy of any
company in the U.S. in 2019.
The Power of Wind
This is a powerful collaboration because it allows us to
purchase offsite power from three separate windfarms in Texas,
Oklahoma and South Dakota. Together, these facilities are expected
to help avoid as much as 1.3 million metric tons CO2e of greenhouse
gas emissions per year.
But beyond being better for the planet, these facilities also
provide more direct benefits to communities by creating local
opportunity. They support employment ecosystems all their own.
According to ENGIE North America, the three projects supplied 1,000
construction jobs at their peak and are expected to deliver more
than $400 million in landowner lease payments, taxes, wages and
commitments over the life of the project.
The partnership highlights how our investments in
infrastructure, paired with innovative thinking, are creating
change for people and the environment in ways that will benefit the
communities Walmart serves, our associates and customers – for
years to come.
The Bigger Picture
Bringing this amount of renewable energy online represents an
important leap forward on our renewable energy journey, reinforcing
Walmart’s broader mission to spark collective climate action and
drive environmental sustainability.
But it still stands as part of the bigger picture toward
reaching our goal of becoming a regenerative company.
It’s not just wind energy that’s helping us fulfill our
renewable ambitions. The sun is playing its part, too. According to
the Solar Energy Industries Association, in 2019, Walmart added the
most solar of any company in the U.S., increasing our solar use by
more than 35%. This growth in solar was driven by several large
offsite solar projects added to our long history of using solar at
our facilities. And according to the EPA Green Power Partnership
Top 30 Retail Ranking, Walmart was the top retailer in terms of
annual green power usage in the U.S. in 2020.
These recent strides have moved us closer to meeting our goals.
In 2020, renewable sources supplied an estimated 36% of our
electricity needs globally. To date, our actions will have helped
to bring more than three gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity
to power grids since 2008. As of the end of 2020, we had more than
550 onsite and offsite projects in operation or under development
in eight countries, 30 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
Last year, the renewable energy supplied by our projects
globally grew to over 4 billion kWh, and we’re not planning on
slowing down.
Beyond our efforts to scale renewable energy for our own
operations, we’re encouraging our suppliers to take action in
theirs through Project Gigaton, our initiative to avoid a gigaton
of greenhouse gas emissions from our global supply chain by 2030.
In September 2020, in collaboration with Schneider Electric, we
launched Gigaton PPA™ to help engage our suppliers in accessing
renewable energy purchases and accelerating greater renewable
energy adoption.
Securing innovative, scaled energy transactions is another solid
step toward our goal of being powered by 100% renewable energy by
2035 and achieving zero emissions across our operations by 2040.
With a mixture of infrastructure and innovation, we can set an
example for what one company can do to move toward a cleaner
future.
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