McDonald’s has teamed up with Lightsource bp to launch a solar project in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. The Prairie Ronde Solar project is expected to generate about 327,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy annually, or the equivalent of the average annual electricity consumption of 30,700 U.S. homes.
As part of the project, Lightsource bp will finance, build, own and operate the facility, while McDonald’s will purchase all of the solar energy generated by the project. It is expected to provide about 630 restaurants’ worth of renewable electricity annually. Construction will begin this year, with operation expected in late 2024.
“Growing our partnership with Lightsource bp reaffirms our commitment to building a more sustainable McDonald’s system at a meaningful scale,” Elaine Strunk, McDonald’s senior director, Global Sustainability, said in a statement. “Prairie Ronde Solar will contribute to our climate aspirations while adding a considerable amount of new renewable generation to the grid.”
This is the second solar project between McDonald’s and Lightsource bp in Louisiana. The first was announced in August 2021, when McDonald’s and eBay purchased power from Lightsource bp near Baton Rouge.
The announcement also comes on the heels of McDonald’s agreement to purchase renewable energy from Enel North America’s solar project in Grimes County, Texas. This purchase amount is estimated to be 470,000 megawatt hours of solar power per year, or enough to power over 900 McDonald’s restaurants and save 170,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The Blue Jay solar project is expected to be fully operational this year and would support McDonald’s entire logistics supply chain, including warehouses and distribution centers.
These projects are part of the quick-service giant’s work toward its emissions reduction target. Last year, McDonald’s announced its plans to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. Since, the company has also opened its first net-zero restaurant and signed an agreement with EDF Renewables North America to help generate low-carbon energy in its restaurants.
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