Brown-Forman Corp. has made a major commitment to renewable energy with an agreement to purchase 30 megawatts of electricity annually from Solomon Forks Wind Project, a new wind power project in Kansas.
The Solomon Forks Wind Project is located on over 50,000 acres of land near the city of Colby in northwestern Kansas. Construction activities for the entire project are slated to commence in 2018 with commercial operation targeted for 2019.
The wind farm is expected to generate the equivalent of more than 90 percent of Brown-Forman’s annual electricity usage in the United States. Brown-Forman is the first major U.S. spirits and wine producer to commit to a power purchase agreement (PPA) in the United States.
Power purchase agreements allow companies such as Brown-Forman to invest in renewable energy generation on a large scale and publicly demonstrate a commitment to renewable energy. These arrangements also provide a stable price for power over the length of the contract.
Brown-Forman will purchase the wind power generated over the next 15 years and retain ownership of the resulting renewable energy credits to offset the greenhouse gas emissions from electricity usage at its U.S. facilities. The electricity generated by the wind farm will then be sold on the wholesale market.
For nearly 150 years, Brown-Forman Corp. produces beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s & Cola, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire, Gentleman Jack, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, Finlandia, Korbel, el Jimador, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Canadian Mist, Herradura, New Mix, Sonoma-Cutrer, Early Times, Chambord, BenRiach, GlenDronach and Slane.
