Coca-Cola production switches to 100% renewable electricity
Coca-Cola European Partners’ commitment to renewables coincides with solar farm launch at Yorkshire factory.
Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) has today announced that it has begun sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, furthering its commitment to sustainable manufacturing in Great Britain.
- Electricity supplied to CCEP’s GB sites backed by the Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme
- Brand new solar farm opens by Europe’s largest soft drinks factory in Wakefield
- Solar is set to supply 15%* of the factory’s total electricity use as part of long term agreement
Supplied by EDF Energy, the 100% renewable electricity package will comply with Ofgem’s Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme, certifying the proportion of electricity sourced from renewable generation. The package is also fully compliant with the emissions reporting guidelines set out within the global Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
The news coincides with the launch of a major renewable project by CCEP, with all electricity generated by a brand new solar farm being used to support production of its famous brands at Europe’s largest soft drinks factory, in Wakefield.
The solar farm covers eight hectares, the size of twelve football pitches, and will produce up to five Mega Watts of energy. In 2014, a £1m combined heat & power (CHP) system was also launched at CCEP’s Wakefield site, saving some 1,500 tons of CO2 a year across the factory’s operations, a 5.6% reduction for the site. Together with the renewable electricity sourced from solar, 3,800 tonnes of CO2 will be saved at the Wakefield site per year – equal to taking more than 1,700 cars off the road.**
Located 1.5 miles from CCEP’s Wakefield site, the solar farm is directly connected to the factory via a series of underground cables, delivering 15%* of the site’s total electricity use and helping to reduce its operational carbon footprint by 8.6%. This comes as part of a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). CCEP also has plans in place for further investment in innovation such as CHP across its GB sites.
The solar panels have been installed by solar PV specialists, Athos Solar, on fields belonging to local landowner and businessman, Stephen Butterfield. The site will also maintain dual-use as grazing land for animals such as sheep.
Nick Brown, Head of Sustainability at Coca-Cola European Partners, said: “At CCEP we are committed to minimising the impact of our operations, with a core goal to reduce the carbon footprint of the drink in the consumers’ hand by a third in time for 2020. By guaranteeing that 100% of the electricity we use comes from renewable sources we’re taking a major step forward in achieving this.
“The Wakefield solar farm is a long-term sustainability project for CCEP, capable of producing up to 5MW of energy at full capacity. We’ve been collaborating with partners across GB to build our renewable energy credentials and have enjoyed working together with a number of local groups and businesses in Wakefield to support this.”
John Newton, Associate Director at the Carbon Trust, added: “Working with CCEP over the past decade, the company has continuously made impressive reductions in its environmental impact, at the same time as taking a strong leadership position on sustainability issues. This new move to purchase renewable electricity is yet another positive step forwards from the company, demonstrating that the business case for going low carbon is no barrier to commercial success.”
Stephen Butterfield, landowner of the solar farm site, said: “As a resident and business owner near Wakefield, I’m very excited to be working with one of the world’s largest brands on such a worthwhile initiative, harnessing renewable energy from Yorkshire to bring soft drinks to people across the country. It’s fantastic to be utilising my land to support local manufacturing, and in a way that helps to protect our environment. I look forward to working closely with Coca-Cola European Partners and Athos Solar on this project over the coming years and am thankful for the support of our local government members, as well as the collaborative effort of Manorwest and Grupo Zaragozá*** throughout the project.”
