The 34 MW project will allow the company to reach its 2020 goal for renewable energy deployment four years earlier than planned. The wind turbines will enable one of the company’s Mexico facilities to source its electricity mostly from renewable energy.
Construction of the wind farm will begin in the second quarter of this year and when complete more than 12 percent of GM’s North American energy consumption will come from renewable energy, up from 9 percent previously. The company’s current renewable energy resources consist of solar, landfill gas and waste to energy, a total of 104 MW. Its goal is to reach 125 MW by 2020.
GM’s Toluca complex, covering 104 acres, will use 75 percent of the energy generated by the wind turbines, while the remaining power will help to power the company’s facilities at Silao, San Luis Potosi and Ramos Arizpe. GM has signed a power purchase agreement with Enel Green Power, which is developing and constructing a massive wind farm in Palo Alto, Mexico. GM’s use of 34 MW of wind power will be equivalent to that generated by 17 wind turbines.
“Our commitment to sustainable manufacturing processes is one way we serve and improve the communities in which we work and live” said Jim DeLuca, GM executive vice president of Global Manufacturing. “Using more renewable energy to power our plants helps us reduce costs, minimize risk and leave a smaller carbon footprint.”
Rob Threlkeld, GM global manager of renewable energy, added that Mexico is an ideal location for the company’s first wind project. Because the energy will be fed to a national grid, it will be easy to reduce or add energy capacity. There is also a good business case given that prices for traditional power are about a third greater in Mexico than in the US. Once online, the company will evaluate the project to better understand how it can expand its use of wind power.
GM is a founding member of the Business Renewables Centre, a collaborative platform launched earlier this month by the Rocky Mountain Institute. The centre is aiming to accelerate the corporate procurement of renewable energy with an ultimate goal of nearly doubling US wind and solar capacity by 2025. This in turn is part of a larger effort by the Corporate Renewables Partnership, which includes the World Wildlife Fund, the World Resources Institute and Business for Social Responsibility. GM is also a signatory to the Renewable Energy Buyers Principles which sets a framework for the partnership and guides the Business Renewables Centre.
For additional information:
