Aussie brewer CUB to go 100% renewable, contracts 112-MW solar park

Australia’s Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) has agreed to buy renewable electricity from a 112-MW solar park in Victoria owned by Germany’s BayWa re GmbH.

The 12-year power purchase agreement (PPA) is part of the Australian brewer’s goal to source 100% of its total power from renewables, it said in a press release on Tuesday. Under its terms, CUB will buy 74,000 MWh of electricity from the solar plant, to be located near the city of Mildura.

BayWa has hired Melbourne-based Beon Energy Solutions to design, build and commission the so-called Karadoc solar park. Construction of the plant has already been initiated and is expected to finish late in 2018.

The contracted output will be enough to meet demand from around 7,500 households, according to CUB.

The brewing company, which produces Australian draughts, global brands and craft beers, said it intends to install rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels at its factories in line with the all-renewables plan. The sites will stay connected to the grid so as to feed excess power when necessary.

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