J&J to Reach 100% Renewable Electricity in U.S., Canada & Europe with New Agreements
Pharmaceutical, MedTech and consumer healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced today new Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) that will enable the company to source renewable electricity sufficient to power its U.S., Canada and Europe operations by 2023.
The deals form a major step towards the company’s goals to fully power operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2025, and to achieve carbon neutrality across global operations by 2030. At the end of 2020, 54% of J&J’s global electricity came from renewable sources.
Paulette Frank, Chief Sustainability Officer, Johnson & Johnson, said:
“Last year we announced our most ambitious climate goals to date, including an accelerated renewable electricity goal. We are wasting no time making progress because we know there is no time to waste – the world needs bold climate action to advance both human and planetary health.”
In the U.S. and Canada, on-site and off-site renewable projects currently provide approximately 70% of the company’s electricity needs. The new PPA, coordinated by power company Ørsted, will see J&J offtake 55 MW of power from the 250 MW Sparta Solar array in Southern Texas, currently under construction.
J&J and Ørsted also announced an 8-year PPA in Ireland to source wind-based electricity from the Kilgarvan Wind Farm in County Kerry and Booltiagh Wind Farm 1 in County Clare. The agreement will enable J&J to reach 100% renewable capacity to power its four manufacturing sites in Ireland. Earlier this year, J&J announced a series of PPAs expected to provide the equivalent of 100% renewable electricity for all operations in Europe by 2023.
Melissa Peterson, Vice President of Onshore in Ørsted, said:
“I’m pleased that we’re teaming up with Johnson & Johnson to assist them with their ambitious goals for their global operations, which include sourcing 100 % of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. It’s excellent that we’re able to match their power needs in both the US and Irish market with flexible and custom-built solutions.
“There’s an increasing focus on decarbonisation going on in the medical industry at the moment, and these agreements are examples of how we can contribute to supporting the industry’s growing needs.”