McDonald’s has signed a 189MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Enel North America for power from a PV plant that the company says will cover the entirety of the electricity load for the logistics supply chain of its US restaurants. The Blue Jay solar farm in Grimes County, Texas, is expected to be fully operational in 2023.
The deal was made with McDonald’s and the five companies that make up its North American Logistics Council (NALC): Armada, Earp Distribution, Martin Brower, Mile Hi Foods and The Anderson-DuBose Company. All parties agreed to purchase energy, and related renewable energy certificates, from the Blue Jay solar farm, intended to cover scope three emissions – those resulting from activities not directly produced by a company – throughout McDonald’s logistics supply chain.
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The Blue Jay project is forecast to produce around 470,000 MWh of power annually, and will be co-located with an 88MWh battery storage system.
“While major corporations are increasingly encouraging and advising their partners on how to reduce their carbon emissions, McDonald’s took it one step further by becoming the anchor buyer alongside its suppliers. McDonald’s and the NALC recognised early on that collaboration across the supply chain is the only way to effectively address electricity emissions for all logistics suppliers,” said Danny Fahey, NALC sustainability lead and vice president of US strategy at Martin Brower.
Paolo Romanacci, head of Enel North America’s renewable energy business, said: “This innovative deal demonstrates how Enel is helping major companies take a hands-on approach in helping their partners decarbonise their operations. We’re honoured to be part of such a monumental deal and look forward to helping McDonald’s and its suppliers achieve their supply chain emission reduction goals through this tailored solution.”
Enel North America has been expanding its operations across the continent of late. The company recently announced a 3GW solar cell and module manufacturing facility, scheduled to begin construction next year. It also unveiled a clean energy retail initiative, initially established in Texas, designed to allow corporate and industrial customers to purchase energy directly from Enel without needing to enter into a long-term PPA.
In September, McDonald’s signed a 15-year, 332MW virtual PPA with EDF Renewables for energy produced in its Texas solar farms.
