Diageo agrees €2.5m wind energy deal

A CONTRACT for wind energy worth €2.5 million was signed yesterday by Guinness owner Diageo Ireland with Bord Gáis.

The deal means all electricity purchased for its breweries from Bord Gáis is sourced and produced from wind farms and turbines.

The Irish operations represent 20% of the Diageo European electricity requirements.

St James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin is supplied by its own internal electricity production system (combined heat power unit) which recovers waste heat from electricity generation and uses it for local heating.

With this new deal the remainder of the energy requirements in St James’s Gate, as well as its breweries in Dundalk, Kilkenny and Waterford will also be supplied by this contract.

St James’s Gate is the second largest brewery in Europe, exporting over 50% of all Guinness brewed there. These exports brought in receipts of €900m last year.

Supply director for Guinness Gerry O’Hagan said: “This agreement maintains our position as an innovator in use of energy resources.”

Head of energy supply at Bord Gáis, David Bunworth said: “As a growing supplier of electricity from renewable sources to corporate Ireland, today’s announcement is a significant one for Bord Gáis Energy Supply.”

A statement from Diageo said where possible it minimises the resources needed and waste generated: “This is done by increasing efficiencies in operations and by finding ways to re-use or recycle by-products to complete the natural cycle. For example pale spent grain is used as animal feed, black spent grain as a peat moss substitute. And St James’s Gate brewery has an on-site materials recycling facility meaning zero landfill.”

The Willows project at the Kilkenny Brewery is an example of this as it uses bio filtration, a natural positive method of processing liquid.