Woolworths, an Australian chain of supermarkets, last week announced a renewable energy cooperation with Spanish energy company Iberdrola to power its sites in South Australia.
The nine-year partnership will support the construction of the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park, the southern hemisphere’s largest hybrid wind-solar farm.
The park will run 50 turbines and 250,000 solar panels in succession to provide the retailer with about 100,000 megawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, which will help power 70 Woolworths stores, 17 Big W stores, and the company’s Adelaide Regional Distribution Centre.
Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci stated that the state of South Australia is the first in the country to have all of the retailer’s locations powered by green energy, adding that the state “has helped lead the transition to renewable energy in Australia, combining solar, wind and batteries to enable us to make this leap forward.”
“The state has long been a world leader in renewable energy,” remarked South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, adding that private capital is now leading the charge in funding sustainable energy, which creates a tremendous potential for South Australian jobs.
Woolworths accounts for 1% of total energy usage in the country, and the shift to green energy in South Australia is in line with the company’s nationwide transition expected to be reached by 2025.
On top of its efforts to adopt green energy, the retail giant announced earlier this month that it will stop selling 15 cent reusable plastic bags across all West Australia stores beginning in July. The move follows the recent introduction of compostable fruit and vegetables bags in its South Australian supermarkets, removing up to 70 tonnes of plastic waste annually.
According to the press release, Woolworths has reduced its carbon footprint by more than 27% since 2015, thanks to ongoing investments in energy efficiency, such as the transition to LED lighting in more than 1,000 supermarkets and the continued expansion of its own solar panel network across the rooftops of stores and distribution centers, which now totals more than 99,000 panels in 171 locations.
