General Mills strikes 100-MW wind PPA in Texas

General Mills has announced the signing of a virtual 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Renewable Energy Systems (RES) for 100 MW of its Cactus Flats wind project.

The wind project will produce renewable energy credits for General Mills that can be applied toward the company’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. During the peak of construction, the project will create about 250 jobs in the clean energy workforce.

General Mills’ investment will help fund the construction of the 150 MW Cactus Flats wind project being developed in Concho County, Texas by RES. The project’s renewable energy credits will enable General Mills to reduce its Scope 2 emissions as part of its target of sustainable emission levels across its global value chain by 2050. In 2016, General Mills reduced the greenhouse gas emissions of its extended value chain by 2 percent versus 2015.

Cactus Flats is located in a particularly favorable wind area in central Texas, which is the leading state in the U.S. for wind energy production with over 20,000 MW of installed capacity.General Mills worked with Altenex, an Edison Energy company, to ensure the project met its sustainability, performance and economic objectives.

John Church, executive vice president of Supply Chain at General Mills, said:

“As we help mitigate the impacts of climate change, investing in wind energy is the right thing to do. This investment is another step towards reducing our energy footprint and achieving sustainable emission levels - in line with scientific consensus - by 2050.”

Brian Evans, Chief Development Officer, RES in the Americas, stated:

“RES is proud to support General Mills in reducing its energy footprint and reaching its sustainability goals. We will continue to work with industry leaders, like General Mills, to deliver clean, reliable power at a competitive price.”

 As we reported in December 2015, RES signed a first PPA for the project with General Motors (GM), which will purchase 50 MW of power produced at the project. When the contract begins in the first half of 2018, 6% of GM’s global energy use will be powered by renewable energy.