A new Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) with Engie will see Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) meet its nationwide 100 per cent renewable electricity target by 1 January 2025, one year ahead of schedule.
CCEP joined the global RE100 initiative in 2021 and made a commitment for its Australian operations to be powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity by the end of 2025. Since then, it has invested in rooftop solar panels at its production sites and secured several key power purchase agreements.
This latest 10-year agreement with Engie, will enable CCEP to secure the remaining energy needed to fulfil its RE100 commitment; a major milestone on the company’s journey towards net zero.
CCEP Australia managing director, Orlando Rodriguez said the global scale of the company saw it set ambitious targets to reduce its carbon footprint and environmental impact.
“To reach our renewable electricity goal in Australia, we have engaged in strategic power purchase agreements and made the most of our rooftop real estate with solar panels at many of our facilities across the country.
“Our partnership with Engie and the signing of the VPPA agreement has accelerated our transition to reach our RE100 target in Australia a full year early. This will make CCEP one of the first FMCG players in the country to achieve the RE100 commitment and is an important milestone for our business,” Rodriguez said.
Under the PPA, CCEP will purchase a percentage of renewable energy and associated Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from the newly built Wellington North Solar Farm, owned by Lightsource bp, located north-east of Wellington and south-east of Dubbo in the Orana region of New South Wales.
The site spans over approximately 970 hectares, over three times the size of Sydney’s CBD, utilising more than 1.2 million solar panels and has the capacity to generate 925,000-Megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable electricity per year.
(Image: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners)
It has also provided economic benefits to the local community, including the creation of up to 400 local construction jobs, Rodriguez said.
Engie Global Energy Management and Sales (GEMS) Australia MD, Jules Dufournier, celebrated the long-term commitment of CCEP and the VPPA.
“Engie GEMS is a global leader in this space, connecting the renewable energy industry to like-minded businesses with the aim of accelerating the energy transition. This agreement is a great demonstration of cross-sector collaboration to achieve a shared goal,” Dufournier said.
CCEP’s commitment to RE100 forms part of its broader ambitions to achieve net zero in Australia by 2040, as outlined in the company’s sustainability action plan, This Is Forward. The plan sits at the heart of CCEP’s long-term business strategy and sets out the actions it is taking across key social and environmental topics, including climate, packaging, water, wellbeing, and society.
