Beverage manufacturer Frucor Suntory has partnered with government-owned electricity company CleanCo to power its new manufacturing facility at Swanbank, Queensland, with renewable energy.
The agreement signed by both companies was enabled by the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, which means the facility will be powered by 11GWh of publicly owned renewable energy. It also means the creation of more local jobs.
“Under the agreement, CleanCo will supply electricity and large-scale generation certificates covering 100 per cent of Frucor’s electricity requirements demonstrating how, through providing sustainable, competitively priced clean energy solutions, CleanCo is supporting large commercial customers to thrive in a net zero future,” said Tom Metcalfe, chief executive officer of CleanCo.
The new Swanbank facility is expected to hire around 450 employees for construction and create around 160 long-term roles once it goes live in mid-2024.
The new Frucor Suntory factory will include beverage processing, packaging, warehousing, and distribution. It is the global company’s first in Australia and is the largest FMCG investment in Australia in the last decade.
“It’s Queensland’s clean energy that is enabling businesses to plan for future growth, and importantly, our investments are ensuring Queenslanders continue to own the energy assets that will drive our renewable future,” said Member for Bundamba and Assistant Minister for Energy Lance McCallum.
The deal with CleanCo follows the state government’s half-a-billion dollar investment in the development of up to 2.3 GW of large-solar and wind projects in regional Queensland. The plan is to enable more companies to procure more clean energy and create more good jobs and new careers for Queenslanders.
The massive funding is expected to significantly contribute to the state’s future renewable energy requirements of 70 per cent by 2032.
“Some of Australia’s favourite beverages will soon be manufactured using renewable energy produced right here in Queensland, with a deal enabling a state-of-the-art net zero manufacturing and distribution facility in Swanbank,” said Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni.
