Diageo will start work on its new solar plant on the vacant land at its Leven packaging site in July, after being given the go-ahead by Fife council.
The solar array, thought to be one of the biggest of its type in Scotland, will have 9,000 solar panels installed and cover an area the size of eight football pitches. It will produce 4.1 MW of electricity and generate up to 22% of the sites annual electricity needs as well as reducing CO2 emissions by 830 tonnes a year.
The solar farm is being delivered in partnership with E.ON and Scottish-based Emtec Energy and is expected to complete in early 2023.
Gavin Brogan, Operations Director at Diageo Leven, said: “It’s fantastic to make this project a reality, creating a more resilient and energy-efficient plant. Working in partnership with E.ON and Emtec Energy, the solar array will generate nearly a quarter of our annual energy use and is a fantastic step forward towards meeting our net zero commitments.”
“Diageo is well-rooted in Leven and we are committed to playing a positive role in our local community, so we will continue to invest in projects like this one to improve our impact on the environment and future-proof our operations. We have a number of those projects in the pipeline, including looking into sustainable heating solutions which the solar farm development will help to power.”
Stuart Beasley, Director of Solutions Sales at E.ON, said: “Now, more than ever, people are choosing to work with or buy from greener businesses, and at E.ON we’ve decades of experience in delivering affordable and sustainable solutions that help businesses with their lower carbon ambitions. With our partners Emtec we are ideally placed to help Diageo in their ambitions to create a more sustainable business, as well as showing employees and customers the tangible changes they are making in the face of the climate emergency and meeting the UK’s 2050 net zero targets.”
Building on Diageo’s long-standing commitment to creating a sustainable low-carbon future and having already reduced half of the carbon in its operations, Diageo Society 2030: Spirit of Progress aims to be carbon neutral by 2026.