Anheuser-Busch has advanced its commitment to being powered by 100 percent renewable energy by four years.
The beer manufacturer announced Tuesday that is has signed a 15-year virtual power-purchase contract with Recurrent Energy. The contract secures a 222-megawatt project in Texas and combining with its recent signing of a 2.76-megawatt solar project in New York as well as a 152.5 megawatt wind purchase in Oklahoma it should allow Anheuser-Busch to accelerate its goal from 2025 to 2021 for renewable electricity.
Anheuser-Busch President and CEO Michel Doukeris said that as long as the sun is shining, Anheuser-Busch will be committed to using renewable electricity sources.
“As the country’s leading brewer, we’re committed to driving meaningful change as we announce the largest solar partnership in the world for the beverage industry,” Doukeris said in a press release. “From our 18,000 colleagues to our wholesaler partners, our teams across the country will continue to find innovative ways to create a world that is cleaner and more sustainable for future generations.”
According to the release, the new solar energy facility will be fully operational by 2021, and it will be the size of 1,500 football fields. It will be equipped with enough solar panels to stretch from New York City to the Southern tip of Florida and provide enough electricity to brew 20 billion 12 oz. servings of beer a year.
Anheuser-Busch announced in 2018 that is was going to take a leadership position for sustainability within the beverage manufacturing sector. It publicly released a 2025 Sustainability Goal that was focused on four key areas: renewable electricity and carbon reduction, water stewardship, smart agriculture, and circular packaging.
Ingrid De Ryck, VP, Procurement and Sustainability at Anheuser-Busch, said that tangible action will lead to more tangible action.
“At Anheuser-Busch, sustainability isn’t part of our business, it is our business,” De Ryck said. “This is about category leadership and making a positive contribution in the communities we live and work. This expansion and investment in our renewable electricity commitment not only brings us closer to realizing our dream of a better world, it also moves our business and operations forward.”
Once this project is complete and operational, Anheuser-Busch will feature an entire portfolio of domestic beer brands – including Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA, Busch and more – that will be brewed with 100% renewable electricity from solar and wind power.
