Six months after announcing its goal to reduce 50 percent of its absolute carbon emissions by 2025 – and four months after entering into a solar energy project – Midwestern retailer Meijer announced today its involvement in a wind energy center that contributes to its renewable energy portfolio and marks strides in meeting its carbon reduction goal.
The retailer signed a renewable product purchase agreement with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, from which Meijer will purchase the majority of energy generated by the project. NextEra Energy Resources is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a leader in battery storage. The project, named Lacy Creek Wind Energy Center, is under construction on 60,000 acres in Glasscock and Sterling counties, Texas, and is expected to be completed in late 2022. The project will use 108 wind turbines to generate renewable energy.
This investment complements the retailer's recently announced utility-scale, solar project with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, which contributes to its renewable energy portfolio. Both projects will begin producing energy by the end of the year, putting the retailer on the path to achieving its carbon reduction goal by 2025.
"As a company, we believe it's more important now than ever to do our part to better the environment, which is where our ambitious sustainability goal originated. While the Lacy Creek Wind Energy Center is one of multiple sustainability initiatives Meijer has underway, we're pleased it has contributed to the accelerated progress in meeting our sustainability goal by 2025," Meijer President & CEO Rick Keyes said in a statement. "The impact these environmental sustainability initiatives will make in the coming years go beyond improving daily operations at our Meijer stores; they align with our values and our continued focus on being a good steward of the environment."
The retailer's efforts will deliver approximately 800,000 megawatt hours of renewable electricity annually through the Lacy Creek Wind Energy Center.
"We are pleased to work with Meijer in alignment with their ambitious sustainability goals," said Matt Handel, SVP of development for NextEra Energy Resources, in a statement. "This project also creates economic stimulus in Glasscock and Sterling counties in Texas, providing good jobs and additional tax revenue."
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