The VPPA, which is for a period of 12 years, will help Merck towards achieving its 2025 goal to have more than half of its purchased power to come from renewable sources. Merck has set a target to purchase 100% of the electricity needs from renewable sources by 2040.
Merck global safety & environment vice president Danielle Menture said: “We have a responsibility to use our resources wisely as we drive innovation in global health care while protecting and preserving the planet and our communities.
“Our sustainability goals address the rising expectations of our stakeholders about the environmental impacts of our operations, energy use, supply chain and packaging.”
Invenergy said that the VPPA will also facilitate the development of a new wind facility and cut down Merck’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100,000 metric tons per annum through the 12-year agreement. This is equivalent to taking off than 20,000 passenger vehicles from the road annually.
Invenergy executive vice president & chief commercial officer Jim Shield said: “We are delighted to partner with Merck to provide them with clean energy from our Santa Rita East wind farm, and we applaud their 100 percent renewable energy commitment.
“This agreement underscores Invenergy’s leadership in delivering clean energy solutions to global companies that are focused on improving the sustainability of their operations and business practices.”
The Santa Rita East wind farm, which will feature 120 GE 2.5 MW wind turbines, is currently under construction in the Reagan, Irion, and Crockett Counties. Upon its commissioning in 2019, the wind farm will generate enough power to cover nearly 122,000 homes.
In September 2017, Invenergy agreed to sell 125MW of power from the Santa Rita East wind farm to Kimberly-Clark, a Texas-based personal care company.
