Arla has partnered with ENGIE and Infinis to sign two new solar parks which will supply about 20% of the energy needed to power its UK operation from renewable sources.
The solar parks, which are based in Boston, Lincolnshire and Offham, Kent, were signed under a power purchase agreement (PPAs), where the purchaser buys independently owned energy at a pre-negotiated price.
The solar parks will be created on sites which have been previously been used for landfill, as part of an initiative to generate more clean energy.
The news follows recent efforts by the brand to mount solar panels on its Oswestry site, which can generate 800 KW, which amounts to 12% of its annual usage.
“At Arla, we’re committed to working with our farmer owners to provide natural, nutritious dairy, that is made in the best possible way, and are proud to be committing to two new solar parks to help power our UK operations,” said Arla vice president of production Fran Ball.
“We are on a journey to climate net zero by 2050, which means that we are taking steps to reduce CO2e emissions on our farms, as well as focussing on other areas, including our production and logistics operations.”
Subscribe to Sustainability Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest sustainability news sent straight to your inbox each morning
She added: “As part of our Climate Action Roadmap, we will be switching to 100% renewable electricity across production sites by the end of 2025, which will contribute 58% of the emissions reductions we need to make in production by 2030.”
“Additionally, 100% recyclable packaging will be used across branded products by end of 2025 and will be helping our farmers to adapt more sustainable feed production practices.”
Infinis chief commercial officer James Milne said: “We’re proud to be working with Engie and Arla to deliver clean renewable power and support their net zero commitment. Partnerships like this help to protect higher grade agricultural land from development – supporting both food security and energy security – and we hope will pave the way many more such projects.”
“Corporate PPAs combined with the contract for difference play a vital role in delivering subsidy-free solar power and achieving national net zero targets.”
