EDPR NA Energy Insight
Coming Together in Commitment to Clean Energy
March 26, 2024
Walmart and EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) have been in a national partnership to deliver clean energy ranging from distributed rooftop solar to utility-scale wind since 2018. The close collaboration began with their shared goal of creating a cleaner future for the communities they serve, which then expanded to focus on the sustainability behind the projects being built. From the beginning, EDPR NA’s aim was to foster lasting relationships that deliver cost-effective renewable energy projects, provide job and educational opportunities, and develop additional community benefits, all tied to elevating Walmart's environmental stewardship and commitment to the local communities it operates in. Working together to serve each other's overall financial, environmental and sustainability goals is important to this partnership.
Walmart and EDPR NA are resolute in their commitments to create a more sustainable energy landscape that benefits not only the planet, but the economy and American consumers as well. Their partnership serves as a testament of the transformative change that companies can make in advancing the domestic energy transition and making sure everyone is part of the journey. The newest addition to this partnership is the announcement of an upcoming solar park in Texas. The companies today announced a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a portion of a new 180-megawatt (MWac) solar project in Texas. Under the PPA, Walmart will be an offtaker for 162 MWac, which will complement its current corporate procurement from EDPR projects of 233MWac of utility-scale solar and wind energy and 36MWac of distributed solar.
On the utility-scale front, Walmart is currently an offtaker at EDPR’s Bright Stalk and Harvest Ridge Wind Farms in Illinois as well as at EDPR’s Headwaters II Wind Farm in Indiana. Together with the transaction announced today, the total volume of utility-scale PPA procurement between the two companies currently stands at 395 MW, which is enough electricity to power 68,335 homes.
Through collaboration with local business owners, landowners, and other community members, the project’s continued development and eventual operations will bring increased local community investment, supporting local stores, restaurants, hotels, and construction-related businesses. The project is expected to create 300 full-time equivalent jobs during construction and three permanent operations jobs. The project recently has also donated $10,000 to the local school district near the site to help fund the repainting of their water tower.
As a leading omnichannel retailer, Walmart is ramping up its energy transformation strategy by committing to projects that focus on achieving its corporate decarbonization goals, expanding grid capacity with new clean energy development, and enabling local benefits to communities. Its goal is to be 100% powered by renewable energy by 2035 – with EDPR projects playing a key role in this journey.
Of note on the distributed generation side of the project portfolio, Walmart and EDPR NA Distributed Generation (the distributed generation arm of EDPR) have worked throughout Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Louisiana, Maryland, South Carolina, and now Texas. This relationship has added 36MW (or 66 total arrays) of offtake from utility-scale and distributed generation sites.
Using the latest environmental innovation onsite at its distributed generation arrays, EDPR NA worked with Walmart to support its commitment to pollinator-friendly solar by building a ground-mount solar array at its Laurens, SC distribution center. The array features pollinator mixes that restore regional biodiversity to aid surrounding nature vital to the local community. This work is part of a comprehensive effort from Walmart to reduce pollinator threats by promoting integrated pest management (IPM) practices and improve and expand pollinator habitats. In addition to attracting beneficial pollinators, the project also lessens the stormwater impact and increases the visual appeal of the installation.
In addition, the New Jersey portfolio of projects - comprised of five rooftop-solar installations for Walmart - won the Large-Scale Project of the Year award from Solar Builder Magazine in 2019. The Walmart Bayonne Supercenter was the featured recipient of the award.
With this new solar park in Texas, we are excited to continue collaborating with Walmart and enable new investments in clean energy and community resilience while supporting societal decarbonization.
Contact:
Kelly Snyder | Senior Director, Origination - North America
Email: kelly.snyder@edp.com
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