Scottish Renewables Will Power Nestlé Operations

Food and drink giant Nestlé will soon be powered by a brand new wind farm in Scotland. The wind farm, which is expected to be fully functional by next year, will supply enough energy to power all of Nestlé’s operations in the UK and Ireland. Nestlé are supporters of renewable energy, with all of its grid-supplied electricity in the UK and Ireland already coming from the sector.

This new deal, an initial 15 year partnership with Community Wind Power, will see a brand new nine turbine wind farm open in Dumfries and Galloway in the first half of 2017. It will produce approximately 125GWh of power per annum, enough to supply the annual demands of 30,000 homes and cover half of the company’s electricity needs initially.

Dame Fiona Kendrick, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé UK & Ireland, said: “We announced back in April that all of our grid-supplied electricity is coming from renewable sources but today’s announcement takes things a huge step further.

“This is a newly commissioned wind farm, generating new energy, creating capacity that didn’t previously exist and capable of providing half of our electricity needs. It’s a proud moment for us and means we have reached another key milestone in our efforts to become a sustainable business.”

Rod Wood, Managing Director of Community Windpower, said: “Community Windpower are delighted to be working with Nestlé by providing 50% of their energy requirements from our Sanquhar community wind farm project. As a leading party within the RE100, Nestlé’s commitment to sustainable resourcing is exemplary and our partnership is testament to that.”

Emily Farnworth, RE100 Campaign Director, said: “Nestlé recognises that climate change impacts pose a risk to the business, and sees renewable energy as part of the solution. Today’s announcement takes the company a step closer to its goal of sourcing 100% renewable electricity across its global operations, and reinforces the strong market signal – sent through RE100 – that business demand for renewables is rising.”

WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: “It’s great to see a company like Nestlé supporting the construction of new wind farms to help power the manufacture of its products. The next step on their 100% renewable journey should be to find ways to harness clean energy at their own manufacturing facilities and on their own buildings. 

“With its huge renewable energy resources, Scotland is an ideal location to source the power needed to create products more sustainably. This is a great example of how business can help meet the UK’s climate change targets.”

The announcement comes on the day a new report is released under the banner “Nestlé in Society.” It takes a detailed look back at the key achievements the firm has made against its goals to be a responsible and sustainable business over the last two years and its efforts to make a positive impact on UK and Irish society.

Nestlé aims to achieve 100% renewable electrical energy globally in the shortest practical timescale through RE100, a global initiative to engage, support and showcase influential companies committed to using 100% renewable power. Nestlé also had an aspiration to reduce its UK carbon footprint by 40% by 2020.  This target will be reached or exceeded well ahead of schedule.

Achieving 100% renewable electricity is just one of the many landmarks outlined in today’s Nestlé in Society report which also covers the company’s work on youth employment, its switch to sourcing 100% certified sustainable cocoa earlier this year and becoming the first major manufacturer to pay the living wage in 2014.

The extensive report looks at areas across nutrition, rural development, water, environmental sustainability and people to give a snapshot of Nestlé’s current position against its own stretching targets.

Dame Fiona Kendrick continued: “We know the role we have to play in UK and Ireland society and are serious about doing things the right way. Whether that’s looking at health and wellness, our carbon footprint, our supply chain, our people, there is work to be done.

“Today’s report shows we are making great progress and I know that everyone at Nestlé here in the UK is focused on tackling the challenges ahead of us to reach our goals.”