Global healthcare and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) will invest £50 million ($68 million) on solar and wind energy to power its manufacturing operations in 2 continents, with a view to support its target to ensure 100% renewable energy for its global electricity usage by 2025.
At the Scottish manufacturing facility at Irvine where it produces ingredients for antibiotics, GSK said it will invest in 2 new wind turbines of 8 MW capacity, and a 20 MW solar farm under a partnership with The Farm Energy Company. The 20 MW solar farm will be spread on 56 acres of land. These wind and solar facilities will have 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) in place.
GSK Irvine, the management shared, accounts for 40% of the its UK manufacturing facilities' CO2 emissions as it has large-scale fermentation and distillation operations. These wind and solar facilities on site will enable GSK to Irvine save 10,000 tons of CO2 annually while ensuring it reaches 85% on-site energy generation, with 55% from renewables.
At the US location, the Oak Hill manufacturing facility of GSK's Consumer Healthcare network in New York, the company said it will make a new investment in solar energy production to achieve the 'landmark' of converting 70% of power consumption to solar energy by the end of 2021. For this location, GSK did not specify solar power capacity it plans to get.
GSK is also undertaking a new R&D program to reduce GHG emissions from rescue metered dose inhalers, 'responsible for 45%' of the company's carbon emissions.
It made the announcement alongside the global pharma and medical technology sector reaching its Race to Zero breakthrough target of 20% of major companies by revenue, committing to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the company stated.