American aluminum can giant Ball Corporation announced that it has inked a new power purchase agreement to purchase 151 MW of wind energy from a subsidiary of NextEra Energy.
The deal signed is a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA), which means that Ball will not receive the renewable energy generated. The investments will, instead, offset the operator’s carbon footprint by generating clean energy.
The wind energy center, which will be located in west Texas, is currently under construction, and is expected to start supplying power in 2023. Ball’s portion of the project will generate 600,000 megawatt hours of clean energy per year, enough to power roughly half of Ball’s North American industrial facilities.
The wind energy center, which will be owned and operated by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, will help Ball meet its science-based targets for 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Ball’s global Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to be reduced by around 30% thanks to the facility.
“At Ball, we believe progress requires transparency. As we grow our business to meet the demand for infinitely recyclable aluminum beverage packaging, we remain committed to our goals of cutting our operational emissions and reducing the carbon footprint of our aluminum packaging,” said Dennis Schuilenburg, chief commercial and sustainability officer at Ball.
According to the company’s lifecycle analysis study, using renewable power in can manufacturing is able to reduce the carbon footprint of an aluminum beverage can by up to 18%, which in turn helps customers to reach their sustainability goals.
The wind energy center expands on Ball’s previous wind agreements in the United States, Sweden, and Spain, which allowed the firm to source 44% of its global electricity needs from renewables in 2021.
Ball plans to achieve 100% renewable electricity globally by 2030, with a 75% interim target by 2025. Ball estimates that with the addition of wind energy, it will be 65% of the way there by 2024.
