Pernod Ricard Winemakers: 1st to achieve 100% Renewable Electricity

Pernod Ricard Winemakers' has all of its Australian sites using renewable electricity thanks to the completion of Australia's largest combined winery solar installation and a 10-year agreement to source renewable electricity. The commitment was achieved ahead of schedule and it will ensure that wines from iconic Australian wine brands will be produced using electricity from renewable sources. 

More than 10,300 solar panels have been installed across the company's two Barossa Valley wineries, with a predicted annual generation of 4,000 megawatt-hours, enough to power the equivalent of nearly 800 South Australian homes.

Pernod Ricard Winemakers has also become the first wine company in South Australia to be connected to both offsite wind and solar farms as a result of a landmark 10-year Virtual Generation Agreement (VGA) with a wholesale electricity retailer. The agreement means that the remainder of the business' annual electricity requirements will be met by solar and wind.

As part of Pernod Ricard's global strategy, sustainability and responsibility takes a very important place, with the group recently launching its 2030 sustainability and responsibility roadmap. It will set out eight ambitious goals aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Brett McKinnon, Pernod Ricard Winemakers' Chief Operations Officer, said that the completion of the project demonstrates Pernod Ricard Winemakers' commitment to be a leader in sustainability and responsibility.

"Pernod Ricard Winemakers is excited to be the first large wine company in Australia to produce wine using electricity sourced entirely from renewable sources, well ahead of our initial goal and other large wine companies.

Being sustainable and responsible is an important part of our business, particularly as producers of wine - a product that takes its character from the land where it was grown. We want to minimise our impact on the communities where we operate, responding to the local climate and preserving the environment for future generations to come.

Our journey began in 2016 with a pilot solar installation after we recognised that we had a huge opportunity across our wineries to harness the power of the sun through solar panels. Three years later, we are exceptionally proud to say that we are now sourcing all electricity from renewable sources, in alignment with our global ambition," he said.