CP Foods Solarizes 180 Farms, Mills and Plants to Cut CO2

• CP Foods, a Thailand-based food conglomerate, is increasing the installation of solar panels at 180 animal farms, feed mills, and processing plants across Thailand, with a total capacity of 65 MW by 2030. This initiative will help the firm reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its production by about 44,000 tons of CO2 equivalents.

What happened? 

Thailand-based food conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) announced that it will increase the installation of solar panels at 180 animal farms, feed mills, and processing plants across Thailand, with a total capacity of 65 MW by 2030. CP Foods has already completed installing solar energy systems in the second phase, with plans to install solar rooftop and solar floating systems at an additional 67 operations and to set up solar panels on more than 80 locations in the fourth phase. According to Peerapong Krinchai, Executive VP of CP Foods, the company is aiming to reach 100 MW of solar energy in its supply chain by 2025. (Source: Solar Builder)

Why does it matter?

CP Foods' solarization project is an important step towards decarbonisation and achieving net zero commitments. By 2025, approximately 34 operations of aquaculture business will have installed solar panels to generate electricity for its operations. This initiative will help the firm reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its production by about 44,000 tons of CO2 equivalents. It is also an important step towards CP Foods' goal to increase the amount of renewable energy consumption in its value chain to 50% by 2030 and to limit the global average temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

What's next? 

CP Foods has announced its commitment to Science Based Target initiatives (SBTi) with the net zero goals by 2050. To achieve this goal, the company has already phased out coal use across all of Thailand’s operations in accordance with coal free 2022 campaign and has substituted biomass energy for coal. Moving forward, CP Foods will continue to promote the use of solar energy throughout its value chain to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enable cost optimization.