AB InBev and BayWa r.e. announce solar power deal

Renewable electricity | AB InBev beers, including Budweiser, will soon be brewed with renewable electricity throughout Europe as AB InBev inks a deal with global renewable energy developer, BayWa r.e., to purchase 100% renewable electricity for its European brewing operations.

The 10-year Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) will see power supplied from two solar farms with a combined power output of almost 200 megawatts of which AB InBev will be supplied with over 130 megawatts. This makes it the largest Pan-European corporate solar power deal in history, covering AB InBev’s 14 breweries in Western Europe and over 50 brands brewed and sold across 12 countries, including global brand Budweiser.

BayWa r.e. will fund and develop two new solar sites in Spain, one of which will be called the Budweiser Solar Farm, which will provide 250 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity per year for AB InBev’s breweries. Over the duration of the PPA, this is enough to power the equivalent of almost 670000 European homes.

The new solar capacity is expected to be added and connected by BayWa r.e. by 1 March 2022. Before these solar sites are up and running, BayWa r.e. will provide AB InBev with 75 gigawatt hours of Guarantees of Origin from its wind farm “La Muela” in Zaragoza, Spain – the equivalent power to produce enough beer for 18 Oktoberfests.

Once all Budweiser in Western Europe is brewed renewably, the brand will feature a new symbol on pack to encourage consumers to choose a beer brewed with 100% renewable electricity. The symbol, which is rolling out across Budweiser in the UK and the US, following solar and wind power deals in those markets, is available for other businesses to use, in a move that the brewer hopes will help to shift consumer choice.

As part of its 2025 Sustainability Goals, AB InBev has committed that all of its purchased electricity will come from renewable sources. The company is making progress in shifting to renewable electricity in its operations around the world, including in the UK, Russia, Mexico, the United States, Australia, China and India. This global commitment will make AB InBev the largest corporate buyer of renewable electricity in the consumer goods industry.