Samuel OskysThe announcement of the deal described it as “long term” and “large scale” with the construction of both projects agreed to start in the next few months.
Both of the projects combined will generate 380 megawatts (MW), the energy will not be directly routed to McDonald’s restaurants or offices but will be added to the renewable energy available on the grid. The energy generated will be the equivalent of powering 2,500 restaurants.
From the two projects, the wind project will generate 20 MW and come from Aviator Wind West, the name of the company who will be dealing with the solar project has not been named.
Francesca DeBiase, chief supply chain, and sustainability officer at McDonald’s commented,
These U.S. wind and solar projects represent a significant step in our work to address climate change, building on years of renewable energy sourcing in many of our European markets.
Other benefits of these two projects include $200m in tax revenues to the local community and the creation of around 600 jobs during the construction phase.
These green energy projects are all apart of Mcdonald’s commitment. The company wishes to cut greenhouse gas emissions produced by restaurants and offices by 36 percent by 2030.
The company has also committed to a 31% cut in emissions intensity per metric ton of food and packaging across its supply chain by 2030 compared to 2015. The goals have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative.
Other large companies have also pledged to use renewable energy, recently Amazon unveiled three renewable energy projects that come Online in 2021.
Image source by Fortune
