Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) will meet its target to use 100% renewable electricity across its Australian operations by 1 January 2025, one year ahead of schedule.
The achievement will be made possible thanks to the signing of a new Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) provided by global renewable energy firm ENGIE.
Related article: Major wine brand switches on nation-leading solar facility
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners joined the global RE100 initiative back in 2021 when it made a commitment to power its Australian operations with 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2025.
The company has since supercharged its efforts, investing in rooftop solar panels at its production sites around Australia and securing several key power purchase agreements.
This latest 10-year agreement with ENGIE, will enable Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to secure the remaining energy needed to fulfil its RE100 commitment; a major milestone on the company’s journey towards net zero.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia managing director Orlando Rodriguez said, “As the maker and distributor of some of the world’s most popular beverages, we have set a series of ambitious targets to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact.
“To reach our renewable electricity goal in Australia, we have engaged in strategic power purchase agreements and made the most of our rooftop real estate with solar panels at many of our facilities across the country.
“Our partnership with ENGIE and the signing of the VPPA agreement has accelerated our transition to reach our RE100 target in Australia a full year early. This will make Coca-Cola Europacific Partners one of the first FMCG players in the country to achieve the RE100 commitment and is an important milestone for our business,” he added.
Related article: Flow Power inks solar PPA with Asahi and BaptistCare
Under the PPA with ENGIE, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners will purchase a percentage of renewable energy and associated Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from the newly built Wellington North Solar Farm, owned by Lightsource bp, located north-east of Wellington and south-east of Dubbo in the Orana region of New South Wales.
The site spans over approximately 970ha—more than three times the size of Sydney’s CBD—utilising more than 1.2 million solar panels and has the capacity to generate 925,000MWh of renewable electricity per year.
