Dairy cooperative Arla Foods contracts two solar parks in UK

Denmark-based dairy cooperative Arla Foods is set to power 20% of its UK operations with renewable energy after signing a solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with French energy utility group Engie SA (EPA:ENGI) and British low-carbon generator Infinis.

The contract is tied to a project in Boston, Lincolnshire, and one in Offham, Kent. The plants are being built on former landfills and are scheduled to become operational in 2024. Upon completion, the solar parks are expected to generate around 23,000 MWh of power annually.

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“As part of our Climate Action Roadmap, we will be switching to 100% renewable electricity across production sites by the end of 2025, which will contribute 58% of the emissions reductions we need to make in production by 2030,” Arla’s VP of production Fran Ball stated last week.

Arla describes itself as the fifth-largest dairy firm in the world and a cooperative owned by more than 12,500 dairy farmers. The company recently completed the installation of roof-mounted solar panels on top of its Oswestry site.