Biscuit and snack food company The Arnott’s Group has signed an eight-year clean energy deal with the publicly owned Stanwell Corporation.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was at Arnott’s Virginia plant in Brisbane’s north to make the announcement. The agreement comes from the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan’s pipeline of renewable projects.
The deal is for over 68GWh of renewable energy and means Arnott’s are avoiding more than 44,500 tonnes of CO2-e, the equivalent of taking 15,000 cars off the road.
It covers Arnott’s 40,000 square metre manufacturing site, which runs eight product lines and three packaging lines, and employs more than 600 people.
“Arnott’s biscuits have been part of the fabric of Australian society for over 150 years, and an iconic Queensland manufacturer for the past 75 years,” Palaszczuk said.
“This deal, which will mean Arnott’s will be 100 per cent renewable by 2029, will help secure their business, and the jobs of their workers, as we move towards a net zero economy.
The Arnott’s Group CEO, George Zoghbi, said the agreement was the latest in a series of bold renewable projects across its Australian sites, that will allow it to accelerate its progress toward its net zero commitments ahead of target.
“We’ve been manufacturing biscuits in Queensland since 1949 and at our Virginia site for more than 30 years.
“This is an exciting partnership that will enable us to transition the way we source electricity for our Virginia site and significantly reduce our environmental impact,” Zoghbi said.
Palaszczuk said, “As we transition towards a clean energy future under our Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, we know more and more businesses are wanting to decarbonise their operations and offer consumers products made with lower emissions,” she added.
Treasurer and trade minister Cameron Dick said that Arnott’s had a first mover advantage in a market where consumers are demanding lower emissions products.
“For Queensland companies to remain competitive and grow, we need to meet that demand with Queensland-made, low-emission products.
“Through the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan and our publicly-owned energy companies, we can power the world’s economy and create local jobs by decarbonising our industries and exports,” Dick said.
