Merck expands renewable energy via VPPA with Recurrent Energy
In Germany, Merck said it signed for its electronics business a 16-year, off-site, virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Recurrent Energy for the construction of the Liberty County Solar project in Texas.
Combined with the Azure Sky wind and storage project, Merck said it will match 90% of the company’s purchased electricity consumption in the United States from renewable energies.
“We have set ourselves ambitious goals and want to do our part to enable more sustainable supply chains worldwide as well as being climate-neutral by 2040. In addition to matching our electricity consumption with renewable energy, our research and development work can support our customers on their path to greater sustainability. With these milestones, we are able to support the fast-growing semiconductor industry with sustainable business practices,” said Kai Beckmann, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Electronics. “The Liberty County Solar project in Texas is just one example of our efforts. Merck is continuing to actively pursue renewable energy and not only in the United States,” Beckmann added.
With 40 MW of the 100 MW project capacity, Merck is the anchor buyer within the Net Zero Consortium for Buyers, an aggregation of corporations organized by the Sustainability Roundtable. The Liberty County Solar project alone will match 25% of Merck’s purchased electricity consumption in the United States and approximately 10% globally. The project is expected to be operational in 2024 and will be located north-east of Houston in Liberty County, Texas.
