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Starbucks signed a long-term agreement with energy provider Constellation to power more than 340 Illinois stores from Enel Green Power North America, Inc.'s HillTopper wind project. Constellation has a separate deal with Enel to purchase 14 megawatts of energy from the wind farm in Logan County, Illinois.
These agreements should enable Starbucks to support the generation of around 48,000 megawatt-hours of wind power from the wind project, which the companies say is enough to brew nearly 100 million cups of coffee. Starbucks' new Reserve Roastery slated to open in Chicago next year will also be powered by wind energy,according to Enel Green Power.
"An increasing number of commercial and industrial customers are choosing renewables as a competitive and clean way to meet their energy needs," said Georgios Papadimitriou, head of Enel Green Power North America. He added that the agreement with Constellation is an example of how EGPNA is working to meet those customers' needs so they can achieve sustainability goals in a cost-effective way.
In September, Starbucks committed to designing, building, and operate 10,000 "Greener Stores" globally by 2025. The company is developing their own Greener Stores framework with the World Wildlife Fund and other experts so that stores can be audited against the new criteria.
Performance-based standards for Starbucks' Greener Stores will focus on energy efficiency, water stewardship, responsible materials, waste diversion, a healthy environment, and renewable energy. The company says it aims to power stores by 100% renewable energy through investments in country-specific solar and wind projects.
The HillTopper wind farm is expected to have a capacity of 185 megawatts and, when fully operational, generate around 570 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year. Enel says the facility should enter into service by the end of this year. Approximately $325 million has been invested in constructing the wind farm.
Earlier this year, General Motors and Bloomberg LPsigned long-term agreementsto purchase power from the new wind farm. "Our agreement with HillTopper is part of our strategy to generate or source all electrical power for our global operations with 100% renewable energy by 2050," Rob Threlkeld, global manager of renewable energy for General Motors said at the time. "When the turbines come online later this year, we will be 20% of the way to our goal."
