Cargill has entered into a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for 87 megawatts (MW) of wind power from the Sweetland Wind project in South Dakota. The company also previously executed a long-term VPPA for the full output of the 85 MW Choctaw Fields Solar project in Oklahoma.
At capacity, the facility will transform the material it receives into over 235,000 MMBtu of renewable energy and 450,000 pounds of nutrient-rich fertilizer annually.
The project, planned to go live in 2028, will also support the Mars pet food manufacturing facility in Lithuania, providing a secure, long-term source of renewable electricity.
As a part of the program, unsold and non-donatable food and beverage products from USCS’s California locations are brought to Divert’s Integrated Diversion and Energy Facility in Turlock, Calif.
Through its net-zero carbon emissions pillar, the company implements a strategy covering all three scopes of emissions, focusing on the use of renewable energy, reducing fossil fuel consumption and collaborating with its value chain to reduce indirect emissions.
The facility was built on land purchased from Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation and is expected to generate 8,750,000 kWh annually of renewable electricity, exported to the Vermont grid under the state’s Standard Offer program.
The company is converting sunlight to renewable energy for its operations via its 900-panel solar array and the first Tesla Megapack battery in operation in the state of Florida.
