Saint-Gobain North America has signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Invenergy to purchase power from 250MW Blooming Grove wind farm in Illinois.
Under the 12-year agreement, which supports the construction of the project, Saint-Gobain North America will obtain renewable energy certificates (RECs) to offset approximately 40% of the CO2 emissions associated with powering its US operations.
It is expected to result in a 41% reduction in Saint-Gobain’s overall carbon footprint in the country by 21%.
Saint-Gobain will purchase 120MW of energy from the Blooming Grove wind farm
As part of the deal, the firm will secure 120MW of energy from the wind farm that will help green the electrical grid transmitted by PJM Interconnection.
Saint-Gobain North America energy and stewardship, sustainability Director Ryan Spies said: “Though the clean energy that’s developed at Blooming Grove Wind Farm won’t be powering our facilities directly, it was important for us to support the construction of renewable energy in a place where it’s needed.
“As a large consumer of energy across the U.S., including in PJM’s grid, we recognize the tremendous positive impact we can make on addressing the climate crisis.”
Scheduled to be operational in late this year, the wind project is being developed by Invenergy, a privately held global developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions.
In January, WEC Energy Group, a Milwaukee-based energy company, agreed to acquire a 80% stake in the 250MW Blooming Grove wind farm, for a total of $345m.
Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives (IEA), an infrastructure construction company, secured a contract to construct the Blooming Grove wind project.
The scope of IEA’s work on the wind project includes construction of project roads, turbine foundations, and erection of turbines.
When operational, the wind farm is expected to pay $119m to the local community in the form of property taxes and land payments and local wages and benefits.
