Mondelēz International and Enel Green Power North America, the Enel Group’s US-based renewables company, today announced the signing of a twelve-year power purchase agreement (PPA) under which Mondelēz International will purchase the energy delivered to the electricity grid from a 65 MW portion of Enel Green Power North America’s Roadrunner project, a solar farm in Texas, United States. The agreement is Mondelēz International’s largest renewable energy partnership at a global level and their first renewable energy PPA signed in the U.S. The partnership enables Mondelēz International to make substantial progress against its sustainability goals by reducing 80,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions – that’s 5 percent of the company’s global manufacturing emissions*.
“Our ambition is to create a future where people and planet thrive by reducing the environmental impact of the snacks we make,” said Glen Walter, EVP and President North America, Mondelēz International. “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from our manufacturing footprint around the world, as well as specifically in North America. Together with our broader goals to eradicate deforestation in key ingredient supply chains, it forms a critical element of our sustainable snacking strategy and our contribution to creating a sustainable future.”
Enel Green Power North America, part of the Enel Group’s global renewable energy business line Enel Green Power, owns and will operate the 497 MW Roadrunner solar farm currently under construction. Mondelēz International will purchase the energy generated by a 65 MW portion of the project, which is enough to produce more than 50 percent of all the Oreo cookies consumed in the U.S. annually.
“We are proud to partner with Mondelēz International and to support their sustainability strategy and help meet their manufacturing emission reduction goals,” said Georgios Papadimitriou, Head of Enel Green Power North America. “As evidenced also by this agreement, businesses are increasingly turning to renewable energy, both for its cost competitiveness and environmental benefits. We look forward to continuing to deliver customized solutions that help our customers achieve both of these objectives.”
“Ceres congratulates Mondelēz International on their continued leadership in sustainability,” said Anne Kelly, vice-president, government relations at CERES, a Boston-based nonprofit that works with investors and companies on sustainability issues. “The company’s progress towards their 2020 goals and their commitment to offset their U.S. manufacturing energy consumption with new renewable energy generation will support collective efforts to limit global temperature rise to less than 2° C.”
The Roadrunner solar project, located in Upton County, Texas, is Enel Green Power’s largest solar project in the U.S. Once fully operational, the solar plant will be able to generate approximately 1.2 TWh annually, while avoiding the emission of over 800,000 tons of CO2 per year.
The agreement is aligned with Mondelēz International’s purpose to empower people to snack right and the ambition to create sustainable and mindful snacks for both people and the planet to love. It’s also a key part of the company’s new 2025 Impact Goals which provide a clear roadmap for the years ahead. The company remains committed to using its global scale and focus where it can continue to make the biggest difference such as reducing its environmental impact, scaling its Cocoa Life sustainability program, minimizing food waste, tracking end-to-end CO2 emissions and minimizing priority sites water usage.