Invenergy has entered into two separate Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPA) with Verizon and Saint-Gobain North America for its 250MW Blooming Grove Wind Energy Center currently under construction in McLean County, Illinois.
The project, scheduled to be operational at the end of 2020, supports approximately 500 jobs during the 12-month construction period and will create 12 to 15 full-time operations jobs.
Over the lifetime of the project, Blooming Grove will invest nearly €105 in the local community through property taxes, landowner payments, and wages and benefits.
Blooming Grove should generate enough electricity to power about 69,000 homes each year.
Verizon, through its 130MW VPPA, makes a step towards meeting its commitment to be carbon neutral in its operational emissions by 2035.
Invenergy’s 120MW VPPA with Saint-Gobain North America represents the largest renewable energy deal to date for the manufacturer and is a key driver in helping the company reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Through this agreement, Saint-Gobain will receive renewable energy certificates (RECs) that will effectively offset CO2 emissions from electricity that powers its US operations by 40%, resulting in a reduction of its overall carbon footprint in the US by 21%.
Invenergy senior vice president of origination Ted Romaine said: “Invenergy’s agreements with Verizon and Saint-Gobain are great examples of how companies across various industries view the increasingly compelling value of renewable energy to meet their energy needs and sustainability targets.”