US food and beverage company Mondelez International, which produces Oreos biscuits and Ritz Bits crackers, is to buy 65MW of electricity from Enel Green Power’s Roadrunner solar farm in Texas under a long-term power purchase agreement.
Construction of Roadrunner started in March, with the first 252MW phase of the project set to come online by the end of this year.
Phase two of the plant will bring the total capacity up to 497MW and will be up and running by the end of 2020.
Mondelez North America president Glen Walter said: “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from our manufacturing footprint around the world… specifically in North America.
“With our broader goals to eradicate deforestation… it forms a critical element of our sustainable snacking strategy and our contribution to creating a sustainable future.”
The deal will help the company reduce its overall carbon dioxide emissions by 15% by 2020.
Mondelez has made environmental investments before, including on-site solar at three French plants and 100% renewable power for a facility in Thailand, as well as its entire operations in the Philippines.