Tiger Brands to go solar – to start with four manufacturing plants

Tiger Brands, the fast-moving consumer goods company whose brands include Jungle Oats and Mrs Ball’s Chutney, has announced plans to dramatically lessen its reliance on Eskom’s power generation plants.

The JSE-listed company said on Wednesday that it will “soon” start deploying solar power-generation facilities at its manufacturing sites around the country.

It plans, through the multimillion-rand investment, to have 65% of its electricity requirements at a manufacturing level derived from sources of sustainable energy solutions by 2030.

“This will be done through the procurement of power purchase agreements from independent power producers, as well as other renewable energy options,” it said in a statement.

“On-site solar power, and other renewable energy solutions, will be installed at 35 Tiger Brands manufacturing sites across South Africa by 2030, beginning with four sites, which will generate 2MW of power. These sites are its Henneman Mill in the Free State, King Foods in North West, and its Beverages and HPC (Home and Personal Care) manufacturing plants in Gauteng. Solar power generation at these sites is expected to go online between the last quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2023,” Tiger Brands said.

It said the move will lessen its reliance on the national grid and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, which it wants to cut by 45% by 2030. It aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

“Other than solar power, Tiger Brands is also exploring biogas, wind, batteries and hydrogen, among other options. The company has introduced several initiatives to reduce energy intensity at its manufacturing sites to maximise efficiency efforts. Some of these optimisation initiatives include detailed site investigations to identify water and energy reduction opportunities, as well as ensuring accurate measurement and metering at the sites.”  — © 2022 NewsCentral Media

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Source: techcentral.co.za