Saputo goes windy with environmental power agreement in Canada
Image: Saputo
Saputo in Canada has entered into a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Capital Power, a North American power producer. The long-term commitment, supported by energy procurement advisor Schneider Electric, marks a key milestone in Saputo’s sustainability efforts, as it will allow the company to make significant strides towards its climate target for 2025 and future environmental goals.
The agreement pertains to a Canadian-based wind facility (Halkirk 2 Wind) currently under construction. Subject to final regulatory approvals and once operational, the portion of the wind facility contracted by Saputo will generate approximately 206,300 MWh of renewable electricity per year, reducing the company’s carbon emissions by more than 140,000 tonnes – equivalent to taking more than 30,000 cars off the road. The new VPPA will ultimately cut down Saputo’s global carbon footprint by 13% (against its fiscal 2020 baseline).
Saputo has been working hard to address climate change since making its environmental pledges public in 2020. The company has invested $70 million in capital to fund more than 65 projects to reduce the carbon, energy, and water intensities of its operations, in addition to signing another long-term power purchase agreement in Australia in 2021.
“As a global leader in the food industry, it is vital we demonstrate our commitment to the long-term sustainability of the dairy industry,” said Carl Colizza, president and chief operating officer (North America). “This VPPA is an important step in sourcing clean, renewable electricity to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations, so that we may play our part as a sustainable dairy processor and safeguard the environment for future generations.”