Ardagh Group and its renewable energy partners Eneco and Zoncoalitie have announced the start of construction for three on-site solar projects in the Netherlands.

The solar installations will supply renewable on-site generated electricity to Ardagh’s Dongen, Moerdijk and Oss facilities and are part of Ardagh’s strategy to use 100% renewable electricity by 2030.

The Netherlands is the first country where Ardagh will supply all of its production facilities with on-site generated sustainable energy via large-scale solar energy installations, with plans to further roll out the technology with local energy partners across all regions.

Adam Koehler, global renewable energy programme manager at Ardagh Group commented: “It’s an exciting time for Ardagh’s renewable energy programme. These state-of-the-art solar installations will supply renewable electricity to all of our metal and glass facilities across the Netherlands, which will make a significant impact in reducing our carbon footprint.”

Ardagh used independent solar energy specialist Zoncoalitie to conduct an extensive technical commercial and feasibility assessment, plus a tender and award process, selecting Eneco to deliver the Netherlands installations.

Approximately 24,700 panels will be installed across the three locations and will soon be able to generate approximately 12,677 MWh of renewable electricity each year.

In 2020, Ardagh launched its Renewable Energy Programme to implement its strategy and oversee its renewable electricity activities. The company’s strategy is built on a combination of on-site, near-site and off-site renewable electricity projects.

In Europe, five on-site solar projects (in the Netherlands, Irvine, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland) will replace 15,000 MWh of electricity consumption from the grid, while avoiding the release of 6,050 tons of carbon emissions per year.

This represents 1% of Ardagh’s total electricity consumption in this region.