Nestlé is celebrating its first wind energy project in the world with the hosting of two wind turbines at its Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) bottling plant in Cabazon, CA. The turbines will provide wind power for 30 percent of the facility where the company produces its Arrowhead® and Nestlé® Pure Life® brand bottled waters.

“Hosting wind turbines at our bottling plants is a critical step for Nestlé Waters to support the increased use of renewable energy,” says Michael Washburn, Vice President of Sustainability for NWNA. “This latest effort in conjunction with our partnership with Foundation Windpower is consistent with our practices to reduce our environmental footprint.”

NWNA chose this location for its turbines, along the I-10 corridor in southern California, because of the high wind potential. The two 1.6 megawatt GE wind turbines in Cabazon will produce an average of 12,900,000 kilowatt hours annually, powering the equivalent of 1,100 U.S. homes. The project will also save 7,320 tons of CO₂ emissions, offsetting the equivalent emissions from 20,687 oil barrels and saving the equivalent of 1,897 acres of trees.

NWNA partnered with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and Foundation Windpower to site and host and commission the wind turbines. Foundation Windpower installs, operates and owns the wind turbines, and its associated environmental attributes, and NWNA purchases the power produced directly and receives renewable energy credits from Foundation Windpower, reducing the company’s power needs from the Southern California power grid.  

“We’re pleased to partner with Nestlé Waters North America to help advance renewable energy efforts in Cabazon,” says Matt Wilson, chief executive officer of Foundation Windpower. “Nestlé Waters’ leadership in sustainability is an important example of how corporations can make a sizable difference in managing natural resources and creating job growth in the green sector.”

The installation of the wind turbines in Cabazon is part of NWNA’s long-term renewable energy plan. NWNA was the first beverage manufacturer in the country to build U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED) certified plants. In 2004, the Cabazon plant earned a LEED Silver Rating. Today, the company has 10 LEED-certified facilities, covering 3.7 million square feet and diverting 22,000 tons of waste material from landfills.

In addition, NWNA produces 98% of its single-serve PET plastic bottles on-site at company bottling facilities, saving 6.6 million gallons of fuel per year through reduced transportation requirements.