Two corporate giants sign up for power from Texas solar plant

The 270 MW Blevins Solar Project, owned by National Grid Renewables, is currently under construction in Texas. Fujifilm contracted for 125 MW and Bristol Myers Squibb for 145 MW of solar from the project.

Including the Blevins project, National Grid Renewables has nearly 1 GW of renewable energy projects in ERCOT, and Blevins is the second National Grid Renewables project located in Falls County.

In addition to producing new tax revenue and landowner income for the local and statewide communities, National Grid reports that it has set up a dedicated charitable fund. The company estimates that Blevins’ direct economic impact will reach approximately $35 million over the first 30 years of operation.

Fujifilm is a Japanese multinational corporation that makes displays, medical imaging equipment,  photographic film and more. The company reports that its purchase of about 46% of the solar plant’s capacity will offset 100% of the company’s total electricity use in the United States and Canada, or the equivalent to avoiding approximately 90,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions per year.

“Fujifilm strives to be a company that contributes to solving society’s greatest challenges, including addressing climate change through our business strategy and operations,” said Teiichi Goto, president and chief executive officer, representative director of Fujifilm Holdings Corporation. “This Power Purchase Agreement is aligned with our policy, which emphasizes securing a stable supply of renewable electricity with additionality². We will continue to reduce CO₂ emissions in our supply chain and contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.”

The investment in clean energy from Texas is just one of many environmental moves by Fujifilm. The company’s plant in Tilburg, the Netherlands, derives 100% of its electricity from wind, and it is moving toward being 100% carbon neutral with the installation of high-efficiency heat pumps and an e-boiler. Fujifilm has also outfitted manufacturing plants in China, Japan and the U.S. with solar panels. Furthermore, the company is addressing decarbonization of the fuel it uses in and is promoting an advanced initiative to establish a carbon neutral model in manufacturing using technologies including synthetic methane and hydrogen that do not emit CO_2.

World Konect Energy Services served as advisor for the agreement between Fujifilm and National Grid Renewables.

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), a global biopharmaceutical company, has set goals of achieving net zero by 2050 and obtaining 100% of its electricity purchased from renewable sources by 2030. In 2022 the company signed a 15-year power purchase agreement for 60 MW of electricity generated 240 MW Cattlemen Solar Park in Milam County, Texas.

For this Blevins project, Bristol Myers Squibb worked with Edison Energy, LLC as an independent advisor, providing renewables market expertise and analytics support.

“Environmental sustainability is an important component of our business strategy and embedded within our enterprise operations,” said Danielle Menture, vice president, environment, occupational health, safety and sustainability at Bristol Myers Squibb. “This agreement is another critical step in our journey towards achieving our goal of 100% purchased electricity from renewable sources and supporting the move toward cleaner energy.”