Mars to provide 100% renewable electricity to power 12 UK sites

The company has also signed a deal to buy electricity through Eneco UK for the next 10 years.

Mars, Wrigley Extra gum, Uncle Ben’s

The Moy Wind Farm, south of Inverness, has an export capacity of 60MW and an annual consumption of over 125,000 megawatt-hours.

The wind farm will enable all Mars UK factories and offices to produce products including Mars, Wrigley Extra gum and Uncle Ben’s using renewable electricity.  

Barry Parkin, chief sustainability/health and wellbeing officer, Mars Incorporated, told ConfectioneryNews the deal follows the April 2014 launch of a large-scale wind farm in Mesquite Creek, Texas, which now generates the equivalent of 100% of the electricity required to power the company’s entire US operations.

“We’re proud the brands we make in the UK will now be manufactured using renewable electricity,” he said. ​

“As with our wind farm in Lamesa, Texas, Moy will contribute significantly to our effort to eliminate fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from our global operations by 2040 as part of our ‘Sustainable in a Generation’ program.  ​

“The Moy Wind Farm is part of our long-term approach to achieving our goal to be a successful and sustainable business for generations to come. We’re not there yet, but we recognize all businesses have a responsibility to tackle climate change. ​

“We hope our partnership with Eneco will encourage other companies to take steps to reduce their own carbon footprint through renewable energy.” ​

Fully carbon-neutral by 2040

Mars wants to make its global operations fully carbon-neutral by 2040. It says with this latest initiative it has achieved its global 2015 goal to reduce GHG emissions from operations by 25% from a 2007 baseline. ​​

The power generated in the Scottish Highlands is equal to that used by 34,000 average UK households, or to make enough Maltesers to fill 166 Olympic-size swimming pools each year.

“It's great to see a company like Mars demonstrating global responsibility by supporting the use of wind power in the manufacture of its products here in the UK​,” said Lang Banks, director, WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Scotland.

“With its huge renewable energy resources, Scotland is an ideal location to source the power needed to create products sustainably. This is a great example of how business can help the UK meet its climate change targets​.” ​

Eneco UK is based in Warwick and is a sustainable business in renewable generation, incorporating large-scale onshore wind and solar assets.

Since 2008, the business has built five wind farms in Scotland amounting to 200MW of capacity and it added an additional office in Dochfour, near Inverness, in 2013 to support this growing portfolio in Scotland.

As well as Mars, customers include Heineken, AkzoNobel and Unilever.

According to Ruaraidh Taylor, resident engineer, Moy Wind Farm, Eneco, construction of the 60MW Moy Wind Farm began in May 2014, followed by civil and electrical works which finished in July 2015, and turbine installation was completed in March this year.

Zoisa Walton, country director, Eneco UK, said it was proud to be supplying Mars UK and to be working with them to create a more sustainable future. ​

“This project is very special to Eneco as it brings together all the elements of our strategy – a renewable generating asset, a like-minded partner in Mars, and the opportunity to deliver real benefits to the local community,” ​she added.