Asahi Beverages, Australia’s leading beverages company and the owner of Carlton & United Breweries, is now powering the production of their iconic drinks such as Great Northern, Victoria Bitter, Schweppes, Cool Ridge water and Solo with energy supply arrangements linked to sunshine harvested in outback Queensland.
Flow Power, one of Australia’s fastest-growing energy retailers, brokered the new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for Asahi Beverages, accelerating them toward their goal of having 100% of their purchased electricity sourced from or matched with renewable sources by 2025.
Under the deal, Asahi will purchase 40,000 megawatt hours each year from a state-of-the-art solar farm located in Clermont, Queensland – an outback town renowned for its high heat and low rainfall.
This is enough energy to power more than 5,700 homes and nearly 81,000 beer fridges annually.
The 500-acre, single-axis solar tracking system farm at Clermont follows the sun’s trajectory for optimal energy generation, delivering one of Australia’s highest per-unit energy yields.
Clermont, which is owned by solar power company WIRSOL and commenced operations in mid-2019, makes use of Queensland’s extensive existing grid infrastructure.
In July 2022 Flow Power secured an 8.5-year PPA for 25.22 MW from Clermont. This deal with Asahi Beverages accounts for around 80% of Flow Power’s offtake.
Along with obtaining large-scale generation certificates (LGC’s) from Flow Power as a result of the project, Asahi Beverages also draws significant energy from onsite solar panels at its Yatala brewery on the Gold Coast, Australia’s biggest brewery. This is the biggest solar project at any brewery in the country, generating enough solar power to brew the equivalent of around 150 million stubbies or cans each year.
The PPA with Flow Power allows Asahi Beverages to continue to procure renewable energy, while also reducing purchasing costs and securing power supply over the long term.
“Our Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan is helping businesses like Asahi Beverages set and meet their renewable energy targets and I congratulate them on their announcement.
“There are a number of exciting renewable energy projects happening across the state, supported by our Queensland SuperGrid which provides the backbone of our new energy system.” Queensland Premier The Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk MP
Asahi Beverages Group Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer John Tortora said it was a great opportunity to work with Flow Power to harness Queensland’s perfect weather to make Australia’s favourite beverages.
“Asahi and Carlton & United Breweries have been producing iconic beverages in Australia for years, so to harness even more of the Queensland sun to help us make Australia’s favourite drinks means consumers can enjoy their preferred bottle or tinnie in a more sustainable way.” Asahi Beverages Group Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer John Tortora
“We are proud to be supporting our long-term customer, Asahi, in continuing to improve the sustainability of their operations and leading the way in industry. Every year we see increasing numbers of businesses making the smart switch to renewables and reaping the benefits through Flow Power’s innovative renewable products and intelligent tools to better manage their energy. Together with these customers, we are delivering on our key goal to accelerating the renewable energy transition.” Flow Power COO Byron Serjeantson
