Gressingham Foods has begun installation of a 3.27MW solar array to help decarbonise its operation and provide energy savings.
The array is being supplied by Centrica Business Solutions, an energy company, which will install a 5,100 solar panel array to Gressingham Foods’ main food processing site in Redgrave, Suffolk capable of providing more than a quarter of its total energy requirements – enough energy to power 111 homes.
The project will break ground in March and is expected to be fully operational by September 2025.
Once live, the solar project will reduce emissions by more than 670 tonnes of carbon in the first year alone.
The solar project is part of a flexible Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that will see Gressingham Foods purchase the energy generated by the solar installation from Centrica Business Solutions over the next 12 years, with no upfront capital cost to Gressingham Foods. During this period, Centrica Business Solutions will own and maintain the solar site.
Fiona Wilson, Senior Group Risk Advisor at Gressingham Foods, said: “The next stage in our ongoing partnership with Centrica Business Solutions will see us continue to strengthen our eco credentials as we look to introduce electric vehicles and chargers. The flexibility of our relationship has allowed us to decarbonise our business more than we ever could have imagined.”