Construction of the Lech Nowy Staw wind farm has commenced

As part of the longterm agreement concluded in 2019 between Kompania Piwowarska and RWE, the construction of the Lech Nowy Staw wind farm has just begun. The subject matter of the agreement is to cover 100% of electricity needs of the three breweries owned by Kompania Piwowarska with wind energy as of 2021 and to expand RWE’s production of green energy in Poland. First electricity from the new wind turbines is to be supplied at the beginning of 2022.

Located near the town of Nowy Staw, about 50 km south-east of Gdansk, the wind farm is comprised of three Nordex N149 turbines, which together have a total installed capacity of 12 megawatts (MW).

According to the 10-year PPA*, in 2020 RWE already covered 40%, and in 2021 - 100% of Kompania Piwowarska breweries’ electricity needs from the existing wind farms with renewable energy. As of the beginning of 2022, the majority of Kompania Piwowarska’s demand for electricity necessary to brew beer in the Dojlidy Brewery, Lech Browary Wielkopolski and Tyskie Browary Książęce will be met by the new wind power plant, which will be owned and operated by RWE under the name Lech Nowy Staw wind farm. Lech is one of Kompania Piwowarska's best-known beer brands, which for years has been acting in favour of environmental protection and inspiring its consumers to eco-activities.

The implementation of the provisions of the PPA fits into Kompania Piwowarska’s sustainability strategy, which aims is to achieve carbon neutrality in all breweries by 2030, and in addition, to motivate suppliers and partners of the company to reduce carbon dioxide emissions throughout the entire supply chain by 30%. The ultimate goal of the strategy is carbon neutrality across the entire supply chain by 2050.

– The PPA is steadily transforming our brewing process to become more environmentally friendly. As a result, already this year, we will reduce the carbon footprint of our breweries by 66% compared to 2019, when we started our cooperation. By executing Kompania Piwowarska’s sustainable development strategy, we fulfil 13 out of 17 UN Agenda 2030 goals and contribute to the realization of Asahi’s environmental vision – says Igor Tikhonov, CEO of Kompania Piwowarska.
 
Tom Glover, Chief Commercial Officer of RWE Renewables, adds: – Together with Kompania Piwowarska, we are showing how climate protection works under market conditions. Our goal is to bring green electricity to the market on the basis of bilateral power purchase agreements and we are delighted that we have reached the start of construction for our joint project. Poland is experiencing a continuous expansion of renewable energies and we are pleased to further contribute to the energy transition in the country.

RWE has many years of extensive experience in the Polish onshore wind market, where it has an installed capacity of around 370 MW. Recently, the company has also moved a step closer to the realisation of its first offshore wind farm in Poland with the awarded Contract for Difference to the F.E.W. Baltic II project. The Group also intends to grow in the field of solar energy. Globally, RWE Renewables currently has a renewables portfolio with a combined capacity of approximately 9 GW; a further 3 GW is under construction.

Further information about the PPA solutions from RWE Renewables can be found here: www.rwe.com/ppa