General Mills to match 100% of annual U.S. electricity use with new wind power agreement
The project’s renewable energy credits can be applied toward General Mills’ greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
General Mills, Minneapolis, signed a virtual 15-year power purchase agreement with Roaring Fork Wind, LLC, a joint venture partnership between Renewable Energy Systems (RES), UK, and Steelhead Americas, Portland, Ore., for 200 megawatts (MW) of its Maverick Creek wind project. The wind project, located in central Texas, will produce renewable energy credits for General Mills that, together with the company’s previous wind power agreement, are calculated to equal 100% of the electricity used annually at the company’s owned domestic facilities. During the peak of construction, the project is anticipated to create approximately 175 jobs in the clean energy workforce.
“General Mills began its milling operations more than 150 years ago with water power from the banks of the Mississippi River,” says John Church, chief supply chain officer and global business solutions officer at General Mills. “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% by 2025.”