Bunge to use renewable energy at U.S. production plants
Bunge, a global leader in oilseed processing and a leading producer and supplier of specialty plant-based oils and fats based in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., announced a 10-year agreement with Direct Energy Renewable Services* to use renewable energy at its Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A., oils packaging facility. This initiative will offset 100% of Bunge’s power usage in that location with an equivalent amount of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) that are derived from Texas wind power. Beginning in August 2021, Bunge’s Fort Worth plant energy will be sourced from a local wind farm.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of wind, solar and other sources of renewable energy is one of the many ways Bunge is working to build and implement innovative activities and solutions that advance its global goals of reducing water, waste, emissions and energy in target amounts by 2026.
“Our partnership with Direct Energy is a great step towards our focus in finding scalable solutions to fighting climate change. We strive to do the right thing in every decision we make, and in every region where we work. By optimizing our facilities and embracing new technologies and sources of energy, we are confident we will be able to reduce our global environmental footprint and to improve value to our customers,” said Rob Coviello, Bunge’s chief sustainability officer and government affairs.
Bunge recently made additional strides in its sustainable energy journey by achieving 100% renewable electricity powered by wind at its corn mill in Atchison, Kansas, U.S.A., and its soybean processing plant in Emporia, Kansas, U.S.A. In 2019, Bunge signed a long-term contract with Evergy for 8% of their total wind farm in Nemaha County, Kansas, U.S.A. The wind farm became fully operational in November 2020 and will help to transition about 60 million kilowatt hours of electricity from coal and natural gas to wind each year across the two plants in Kansas. Besides these locations in Kansas, Bunge’s soybean processing plant in Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S.A. gets over 60% of its electricity from wind power.
When looking to the future, Bunge will continue to invest in and expand the use of wind and solar energy, as well as other sustainable alternatives across its supply chains.
To learn more about Bunge’s environmental goals, visit https://www.bunge.com/sustainability.
*NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE:NRG) completed the acquisition of Direct Energy from Centrica plc effective January 5, 2021. Direct Energy adds more than three million customers across North America to NRG’s leading retail portfolio, growing the company’s reach and size.
