As per the press release by Nestle USA on 9th December 2020, Nestlé announced that it is investing in Taygete I, a 2000 acre solar project owned and developed by 7X Energy in Pecos County, Texas. This is Nestlé’s largest direct investment (by capacity) in a renewable energy project to date. With this investment, the solar project will add 250 MWac of solar electricity to the US grid.
In addition to its direct investment, Nestlé will purchase 100% of the renewable electricity attributes generated by the project’s energy production, estimated at 750,000 megawatt hours per year for 15 years. This renewable energy will help the company reduce carbon emissions while preparing household favorites such as DiGiorno® pizza, Sweet Earth® meals, Purina® Pro Plan® pet food and sand. for cats Tidy Cats®. The reduction in carbon emissions (530,280 metric tons of CO2) is equivalent to the emissions of making 4 billion DiGiorno® pizzas per year.
“Nestlé’s investment in Taygete I is an important milestone in our journey to achieve net zero by 2050. This is an aggressive goal, and to achieve it, we are innovating across our company, from the ingredients we use to the packaging we maintain. our food. and safe beverages, how we manufacture and ship our products, ”said Jim Wells, Director of Supply Chain for Nestlé USA. “We are proud that our investment will expand the availability of renewable energy, adding enough solar electricity to the US grid to power 90,000 homes each year. Additionally, with this step, we remain on track to achieve a 35% reduction in GHG emissions per ton of product at our US manufacturing facilities by the end of 2020. ” he added.
This announcement follows Nestlé’s presentation of its detailed and time-bound plan to achieve zero net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions last week. The phased approach aims to halve the company’s emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. To achieve this, Nestlé will accelerate current initiatives, develop its operations and discover ways to balance remaining emissions through projects. high-quality carbon removal or innovation. Nestlé is a signatory to the UN commitment “Business Ambition for 1.5 ° C” and is one of the first companies to share its detailed plan.