The 98 MW Hoopeston Wind Project is the largest single IKEA renewable energy investment globally to date and will make a significant contribution to the company’s goal to generate as much renewable energy by 2020 as it currently consumes in total. The Hoopeston, Illinois, wind farm is being constructed by Apex Clean Energy and is expected to be fully operational by the first half of 2015.
“The US has amazing wind and sun resources that will never run out” said Steve Howard, Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Group. “We are delighted to make this investment – it is great for jobs, great for energy security, and great for our business. Importantly, it’s great for the future of our climate.”
The investment announcement was made by Rob Olson, Chief Financial Officer of IKEA US. He was attending a business executive briefing by Climate Declaration signatories for members of the Bi-Cameral Task Force on Climate Change, focusing on climate-related business impacts, strategies companies are using to lower their carbon footprints, and the policies needed to mitigate climate change and boost clean energy sources.
“We are committed to renewable energy and to running our business in a way that minimizes our carbon emissions, not only because of the environmental impact, but also because it makes good financial sense” said Mr Olson. “We invest in our own renewable energy sources so that we can control our exposure to fluctuating electricity costs and continue providing great value to our customers.”
IKEA is committed to growth in the US and will open three new stores in 2014 and 2015. Last month the company announced plans to expand its manufacturing partnership with a key US supplier.
Hoopeston Wind is expected to generate up to 380 GWh of renewable energy each year, enough to support the annual power requirements of 34,000 American households. The wind farm will also enable a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to taking 55,000 cars off the road. It will consist of 49 Vestas V100-2.0MW wind turbines and will be fully owned by the IKEA Group while being managed by US company Apex Clean Energy. IKEA now owns 206 wind turbines worldwide which includes investments by the company in eight countries including Germany, Canada, Ireland, Poland, Sweden and the UK. The group has also installed 550,000 solar panels on IKEA buildings in nine countries. In 2013 IKEA generated 1,425GWh of energy from renewable sources, equivalent to 37 percent of the company’s total needs.
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