Brickmaking giant lights the way with major green investment
Building products manufacturer Forterra has taken significant steps towards a sustainable future after signing a 50 GWh Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
From 2025, the Northampton-headquartered firm will source 70 percent of its electricity from a solar farm in central England.
The investment will provide renewable energy to Forterra’s 17 sites for 15 years, delivering annual carbon savings of 14,000 tonnes – equivalent to the energy usage of 13,500 households.
The electricity will be generated by a new solar power project developed by the global solar energy firm Lightsource bp.
Zosia Riesner, director of power markets for Europe at Lightsource bp, said: “Forterra is showing real leadership with this deal, which will drastically reduce the carbon emissions of its operations. It is also an astute move to secure predictable, long-term energy costs at a time of extreme price volatility.”
The PPA between Lightsource bp and Forterra will be facilitated by Dutch energy company Eneco, a licensed supplier in the UK.
Stephen Harrison, chief executive at Forterra, said: “This agreement will provide us with price security and stability alongside the clear sustainability benefits.
“It sees us make tangible progress in the race to net zero. Rather than relying on green energy generated by others, we are actually investing in a dedicated source of renewable energy generation, helping to decarbonise the grid, something that is critical to the UK’s net zero journey. We also aim to generate another 10 percent of our electricity requirement from our own on-site solar and wind renewables by 2025.
“Overall, we have implemented ambitious ESG targets. Between 2010-19 we reduced our carbon emissions by 22 percent and have pledged to reduce them by a further 32 percent by 2030.”
