- GSK to invest £50 million to go renewable at 2 of its global manufacturing facilities
- For GSK Irvine fab in Scotland, it plans to install 8 MW wind energy and 20 MW solar power capacity through The Farm Energy Company
- Oak Hill production fab in New York will also have the company making fresh investment in solar energy production of undefined capacity
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.
