New wind farm opens to power Nestlé in the UK & Ireland
On 3rd July 2018 Nestlé UK&I opened a new wind farm at Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
The farm, developed in partnership with energy business Community Windpower, is made up of nine turbines which, combined, are now producing around 125GWh of power per annum. That’s enough to supply half the annual electricity demands of all Nestlé’s UK and Ireland operations.
Each year, enough electricity to power 30,000 homes will be delivered back to the National Grid, meaning that Nestlé is now contributing directly to the de-carbonising of the UK and Ireland’s electricity supply.
Speaking as he officially opened the wind farm, Stefano Agostini, CEO Nestlé UK and Ireland said:
“I’m proud that Nestlé is doing the right thing and directly contributing to the reduction of carbon here in the UK and Ireland. We all have a part to play in reducing climate change and its effects while making sure that we safeguard our planet’s future.”
“We already use 100% renewable, grid supplied electricity across all our UK and Ireland operations, but now with the opening of Sanquhar wind farm, we can supply half of our own energy here in the UK and Ireland. I’m delighted we not only using 100% renewable electricity to run our business here in the UK and Ireland, we are now responsible for producing it too.”
The project has been welcomed enthusiastically by the local community in rural Sanquhar in Dumfries & Galloway and received no objections at all throughout the planning process. The scheme will contribute annually to a local community fund managed by Community Windpower, which will help provide economic, educational, environmental and social benefits for the lifetime of the wind farm. On site, a host of biodiversity protection and enhancement measures have been put in place to ensure local wildlife prospers alongside the new farm.
