AB InBev to soon add 8.7 MW of solar to breweries in S Africa

Anheuser-Busch InBev (EBR:ABI) is on track to connect its seven breweries in South Africa to 8.7 MW DC of distributed solar energy it procured through power purchase agreements (PPAs) with local photovoltaic (PV) systems operator SOLA Group.

Of the contracted capacity, 2.6 MW DC of arrays have reached practical completion, while the remaining ones are moving through advanced stages of construction, SOLA informed on Thursday. All systems are expected to go live in the coming weeks.

The project will see over 23,000 solar panels installed across the Belgian brewer’s seven facilities in South Africa. Once all arrays are switched on, they will generate close to 14 GWh of power per year.

AB InBev Africa will purchase its power requirement directly from SOLA and meet the remaining needs through South African utility Eskom and local municipalities.

On the global level, AB InBev surpassed its goal of reaching 50% of purchased renewable power by 2020 ahead of schedule. The next milestone will be to achieve 100% by 2025.

For its South African operations, the brewer will need 191 MW of solar power to meet the 100% renewable energy target, AB InBev Africa executive Gugulethu Nogaya said in a press release.

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