General Motors Co. will buy 34 megawatts of wind energy from Enel Green Power to provide electricity for its manufacturing operations in Mexico.
GM has signed a power-purchase agreement with Enel Green Power to buy the capacity from a wind farm that Enel Green Power is developing in Palo Alto, Mexico. Construction of the wind farm will begin in the second quarter of this year.
75% of the energy coming from the wind turbines will power most of GM’s Toluca Complex sitting on 104 acres, making it the company’s largest user of renewable energy. The remaining capacity will help power its Silao, San Luis Potosi and Ramos Arizpe complexes. The use of renewable energy helps these facilities avoid nearly 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
GM said that when complete, more than 12% of its North American energy consumption will come from renewable energy sources, up from 9%. The company’s current renewable energy use – comprised of solar, landfill gas and waste to energy – totals 104MW against a goal of 125MW by 2020. The use of clean energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions and GM’s impact on climate change.