General Mills has announced signing of a virtual 15 year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Roaring Fork Wind, for 200MW from Maverick Creek wind project.
Image: Maverick Creek is located 16km away from Cactus Flats wind project. Photo: Courtesy of PRNewsfoto/General Mills.
Roaring Fork Wind is a joint venture partnership established between Renewable Energy Systems (RES) and Steelhead Americas.
The Maverick Creek wind project is capable of supplying renewable energy credits for General Mills. Together with the company’s previous wind power agreement, the energy credits from the wind project will be equivalent to 100% electricity needed for the company’s owned domestic facilities annually.
General Mills said that during the peak of construction, the project is expected to create approximately 175 jobs in the clean energy workforce.
General Mills chief supply chain and global business solutions officer John Church said: “General Mills began its milling operations more than 150 years ago with water power from the banks of the Mississippi River.
“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 located 16km away from Cactus Flats wind project, for which the company has signed the first wind energy purchase agreement. The project is located in a favorable wind area in central Texas, where the installed wind power capacity is over 24,899MW.
The Maverick Creek wind project is being developed by RES and Steelhead Americas and the present purchase agreement with Roaring Fork I expected to help financing for the construction of wind farm.
RES Americas CEO Graham Reid said: “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. Delivering the Maverick Creek project brings RES closer to fulfilling our vision where everyone has access to affordable zero carbon energy.”
General Mills said that the renewable energy credits of the project would contribute to its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, and 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.