USA – Japanese pharma company, Takeda has agreed to become a major purchaser of energy produced by Enel, a wind farm in Oklahoma to offset carbon footprints by investing in green energy.

The Seven Cowboy Wind Project, eventually to include 107 wind turbines scattered across portions of Washita and Kiowa counties in western Oklahoma, has been slated for completion by builder Enel Green Power later this year.

Already, however, much of the energy the facility is expected to produce has been purchased by Takeda, a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Osaka, Japan.

The company signed a long-term virtual power purchase agreement for electricity delivered to the state grid from a 79-megawatt portion of the wind farm.

According to a news release, the ‘Virtual Power Purchase Agreement’ (VPPA) sees Takeda acquire 350,000 megawatts of electricity annually from Enel’s wind project in Oklahoma, enough to meet the needs of about 30,000 US homes.

The Seven Cowboy Wind Project represents Enel Green Power’s 13th wind farm in Oklahoma. The company’s US$3 billion total investment in the state makes it Oklahoma’s second-largest wind operator.

According to the release, Enel North America, based in Andover, Massachusetts, part of the Enel Group, serves more than 4,500 businesses, utilities, and cities through renewable power generation, demand response, distributed energy resources, energy trading, and advisory and consulting services.

The scale of the purchase agreement covers all power usage needs for Takeda’s footprint in the US, which includes manufacturing facilities, as well as supply centers, R&D facilities, and other office space.

The company said the agreement will also cover existing plans to expand these locations.

Overall, the goal for Takeda is to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for Scope one and Two before 2035, with the ultimate aim being to be net-zero across its value chain, including Scope three emissions, before 2040.

With this agreement, the company will be able to reduce around 20% of its current emissions.

Pharma companies’ renewed focus on green energy

Takeda’s action is part of a broader movement across major companies in the industry to rely on greater use of renewable energy.

Previously, Novo Nordisk invested in installing a 672-acre solar panel to provide power for its US operations.

Novo Nordisk is part of RE100, which consists of a group of companies that aim to be 100% renewable energy.

The organization also includes AstraZeneca, Biogen, and Johnson & Johnson, among other pharmaceutical companies.

A group of scientists from Genentech, GSK, and Merck recently published a paper on the manufacture of drug substances and highlighted that electricity consumption in manufacturing facilities is the biggest driver behind the environmental impact of the industry.

The research called for a focus on process intensification, due to the resulting reduction in processing times and increased yields produced.

Meanwhile, Takeda has become a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the largest sustainability initiative globally.

As a signatory, Takeda has committed to adopting the Ten Principles of the UNGC which are derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

GSK, the British pharma has also announced plans to put its suppliers on the hook as it ramps up its sustainability agenda and will require and help suppliers to make sustainability commitments and chart improvements on emissions, energy, heat, transport, waste, water, and biodiversity.

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