Mars Australia, maker of M&M’S® chocolate, MasterFoods®, EXTRA® sugarfree gum and PEDIGREE® dog food, to match 100% of its electricity use with renewable energy by 2020.
May 1, 2018 - Total Eren is developing and will build the Kiamal Solar Farm near Ouyen, Victoria which will be operational in mid-2019. The Mars PPAs will also facilitate the planned build of a second renewable project by Total Eren in NSW. Mars has contracted for energy to match the electricity requirements of its six Australian factories (Asquith, Ballarat, Bathurst, Wacol, Wodonga & Wyong) and two sales offices (Melbourne & Sydney).
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The energy generated by the Kiamal Solar Farm is enough to power:
In 2017, Mars committed a billion dollars to delivering our Sustainable in A Generation plan. Mars Australia was ranked #1 in the Best Places to Work 2017 study. |
“Mars is thrilled to be flicking the switch to solar energy,” said Barry O’Sullivan, Mars Australia. “It’s about making a long-term commitment to a sustainable, greener planet that will benefit our customers, our consumers and the local and global community."
Australia as a nation currently is one of the highest emitters of greenhouse gas per capita in the world, with electricity generation being a major contributor.
Mars, in partnership with Total Eren, will play a role in reducing Australia's reliance on fossil fuels – the power generated at the Kiamal Solar Farm will be supplied to the national grid, thereby increasing the ratio of renewable energy in the National Energy Market.
Mr O’Sullivan said, "The rise in electricity prices last year accelerated our plans to join Mars sites in the US, UK and 9 other countries in moving to renewable electricity."
“We acted quickly because the price volatility of energy in Australia made renewables the best option for our business, in addition to getting us closer to our commitment to eliminate greenhouse gasses from our operations by 2040.”
The PPAs are part of a broader Mars journey to become Sustainable in a Generation(Opens a new window), with plans to reduce greenhouse gasses across the supply chain by 67% by 2050.
Kevin Rabinovitch, Mars Global VP Sustainability said, “Last year we announced we’re spending a billion dollars in the next three years to start transforming our supply chain to get those impact reductions. We’ve made solid progress on the sustainability of our own operations since 2007, so now we’re in a good position to accelerate work and share lessons with our supply chain partners as we tackle impacts beyond our own operations.”
Mr O’Sullivan added, “We have an extensive local supplier network and we’ll be talking to them about how they can help further reduce emissions in our supply chain.”
Total Eren CEO David Corchia said, “Total Eren has an ambitious vision for the expansion and development of renewable energy in Australia.”
“Partnering with manufacturing thought leaders like Mars Australia is essential and sends a strong message to the rest of the market that now is the time to capitalise on the opportunities offered by renewable power purchase agreements and to drive positive change in the environment.”
Mars does not take energy directly from the solar farm to power its operations. By helping to underwrite a part of the project, Mars provided the security necessary to enable the project developers, Total Eren, to expand the solar farm to a planned Stage 1 capacity of 200 MW. In return, Mars will receive the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) created by Kiamal Solar Farm, which are transferable for all Mars’ electricity use in all of its Australian facilities.
Sam Kimmins, Head of RE100, The Climate Group, said, “Investing in solar power is a sound business decision in light of fluctuating energy costs in Australia. By adding renewables capacity and engaging suppliers, leaders like Mars can spur wider corporate action that can shift the local market away from fossil fuels and start bringing down the country’s high emissions.”
Mars partnered with Commodity Risk Solution, LLC, a global energy market advisor, to structure and deliver an innovative corporate PPA that will provide a lasting economic advantage.
TFS Green are pleased to have been able to broker the Kiamal Project to Mars as part of their new corporate PPA services platform - Renewable Energy Hub.
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For more information and interview requests contact:
Priscilla Truong
Ogilvy Australia
0432 627 973
[email protected]
About Mars, Incorporated
Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN’S®, MASTERFOODS®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.
For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com(Opens a new window). Join us on Facebook(Opens a new window), Twitter(Opens a new window), LinkedIn, Instagram(Opens a new window) and YouTube(Opens a new window).
About Total Eren
Founded in 2012, Total Eren S.A is a leading French renewable energy independent power producer with over 900 MW of onshore wind, solar PV and hydro assets in operations or under construction globally. Total Eren’s strategic shareholders includes Total S.A., the world’s 4th largest energy company and BPI France with a long-term objective to achieve 3 GW of renewable energy assets by 2023.
About Commodity Risk Solution, LLC
CRS has partnered with leading multinational corporates in the execution of best-in-class utility scale renewable energy deals. We have successfully closed ~ $1 Billion of wind and solar projects in 5 different countries. What sets CRS apart from the typical market player is the delivery of economic sustainability in addition to meeting environmental goals. Anyone can transact Renewable Energy to meet their sustainability goals (Doing Good) but securing a lasting, market competitive advantage is our objective (Doing Well).
