General Mills Commits to 100% Renewable Electricity by 2030

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General Mills has set a goal to source 100% renewable electricity by 2030 as part of the RE100 global corporate initiative.

To achieve this, the company is investing in renewable energy efforts to support the company’s environmental objectives. Examples include two large-scale wind farms that will produce renewable energy credits (RECs), and anaerobic digestion (which captures and uses methane from waste to generate electricity). Internationally, the company is investigating renewable projects where it has energy-intensive operations.

In 2015, General Mills was the first company across any sector to publish a goal approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions across the company’s full value chain (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) by 28% by 2025. Through 2019, General Mills has reduced the greenhouse gas emissions of its extended value chain by 14 percent compared to its 2010 baseline.

Biogas Renewables 

The renewable energy projects currently underway, as well as those yet to be implemented, will enable the company to reduce Scope 2 emissions in its global operating facilities. Projects underway thus far include:

• In North America, the company has a 1.6 megawatt generator fueled by the anaerobic biodigester at its Murfreesboro plant in Tennessee. Self-renewing bacteria in the biodigester convert plant process wastewater from its yogurt production into the biogas fuel. Power and waste heat from the generator are fed directly back into the yogurt processing facility to reduce its annual grid power and natural gas purchases by up to 20%.
• In South America, the company has a 335 kilowatt biogas regeneration plant at its Paranavai Yoki location. This plant is one of the largest manufacturing plants in Brazil where electric power is produced from biogas generated by the site’s wastewater treatment system. The power is used by the plant with any excess sent to the local electric utility, reducing the company’s power spend by 30%.
• In Europe, the company has a 195 kilowatt capacity biogas regeneration plant at its Arras, France Häagen-Dazs production facility. The plant uses electric power produced from generators that are fueled by renewable biogas from the site’s process wastewater treatment system. The power generated from the biogas is sold to the local utility grid, while excess heat in the form of hot water is recovered to reduce natural gas consumption at the ice cream plant.

In April 2019, General Mills announced it signed a virtual 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Roaring Fork Wind, LLC, a joint venture partnership between RES (Renewable Energy Systems) and Steelhead Americas, for 200 megawatts of its Maverick Creek wind project.

The wind project, located in central Texas, produces renewable energy credits for General Mills that, together with the company’s previous wind power agreement, are calculated to equal 100% of the electricity used annually at the company’s owned domestic facilities.

And in January of this year, General Mills was named one of the 179 companies on CDP’s annual A-list, which recognizes companies at the forefront of tackling the climate crisis. Non-profit group CDP, which scores companies based on the environmental data they voluntarily disclose on its platform, recently released its annual rankings, including the companies that made the F-list.

CDP says its annual A-listist “names the world’s most pioneering companies leading on environmental transparency and performance. This year, we recognize more than 170 corporates as the leaders acting to address climate risks and build our future zero-carbon economy — one that works for both people and planet.”