Today, Grupo Bimbo materialized the largest and most important conversion to renewable energy sources made by a company in the food industry at a global level. Daniel Servitje , Grupo Bimbo CEO, started the operations of the Piedra Larga Wind Farm that will supply electric power to almost all of the company’s facilities in Mexico.

Built in the municipality of Unión Hidalgo in the State of Oaxaca, Piedra Larga meets one of the most ambitious objectives of the Company by significantly reducing its carbon footprint and incorporating, in a permanent way, sustainability of its operations.

The event was attended by the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón; Gabino Cué, Governor of the State of Oaxaca; Juan Domingo Ortega, President of the Spanish company Renovalia; Don Manuel Alabart Fernández Cavada, Ambassador of Spain, as well as a large number of federal, state and municipal authorities.

Daniel Servitje stated that Piedra Larga is the largest wind farm in the world built to supply electric power to a company in the food industry, allowing it to cope with today’s environmental challenges. “As as leading company at a global level, we are sensitive to environmental challenges; hence, we strive to contribute through innovative and purposeful actions to reduce the environmental footprint. Piedra Larga is an example of it”, observed the CEO.

With an installed capacity of 90 MW (megawatts) and 45 wind turbines of 2 MW each, Piedra Larga will initially supply over 40 facilities of Grupo Bimbo in the country with electric power generated from a renewable and clean source. Piedra Larga will also supply “Bimbo’s Friends”, outstanding among them are, the Papalote Children’s Museum that has become a strategic partner for sustainability initiatives and programs, together with Frialsa Frigoríficos and Grupo Calidra.

Built by DEMEX –Mexican affiliate of the Spanish company Renovalia- Piedra Larga became a reality thanks to a strategic alliance with the participation of the private sector and some financial institutions such as Nacional Financiera, Banco Espirito Santo, La Caixa, Santander, Bancomext and Banobras (Fonadin). Francisco Avelar, Financial Planning Director of Grupo Bimbo detailed the scope of the agreement, which binds Grupo Bimbo, as the consuming party for at least 18 years, and DEMEX as the investing party around the common objective of increasing the use of renewable energy sources in the operations of the industry.

“The construction of Piedra Larga had a cost of 200 million US dollars. However, Grupo Bimbo did not participate as an investing partner. Its long-term commitment to consume the energy generated by the wind farm will bring about social, environmental and economic benefits for the Company”, explained Mr. Avelar.

On his part, Don Juán Domingo Ortega, President of Renovalia stated, “We are very proud of what Piedra Larga means for Mexico, Grupo Bimbo, Demex and Renovalia. It is an emblematic project due to its size and capacity, and for what it represents for the renewable energy sources sector at an international level. It is evidence that these energy sources -and in this case wind power- are, and will be in the future, a viable model for the sustainability of the energy system”.

President Felipe Calderón remembered that at the beginning of his 6-year administration, he set as a goal that renewable energy represented one fourth of the total consumption in the Country. “Not only have we attained this goal, but surpassed it. Today, in Mexico, thanks to the joint collaboration between the private sector and the Government, 26% of the electric power comes from renewable sources”, he pointed out.

From now on, Piedra Larga is a role model within the renewable energy sources industry and for the service it renders to companies of all sectors. Annually, this wind farm will prevent the emission of approximately 180 thousand tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere. This figure equates to the absorption capacity of close to five million mature trees, or 12 thousand hectares of forests; a little more than seven times the area of the Marquesa Park in the State of México. Likewise, it is equivalent to stop consuming 65 million liters of diesel.

“In Grupo Bimbo, sustainability is at the core of our strategic decisions, recognizing the essential value imbued in seeking the convergence among our present social, environmental and economic objectives, with addressing the needs and development potential of future generations”, concluded Daniel Servitje