Irn-Bru maker AG Barr goes green with wind power deal

AG Barr chief executive Roger White said the move was "a big step" towards reducing the company's carbon footprint

The maker of Irn-Bru has announced that its operations across the UK will be run on wind power, following a deal with Swedish energy group Vattenfall.

Under a 10-year contract, Vattenfall will provide the equivalent of100% renewable electricity to AG Barr plants in Cumbernauld and Milton Keynes.

The deal also covers regional sites in Forfar, Newcastle, Bolton, Sheffield, West Midlands and Manchester.

Vattenfall will supply Barr with 22GWh per year from wind farms in the UK.

That is the equivalent amount of electricity used by 6,000 homes annually.

The announcement comes a week after Barr revealed it had removed a giant wind turbine at its Cumbernauld plant in order "to facilitate the construction and operation of additional large scale wind energy projects in Scotland".

Barr chief executive Roger White said: "Introducing 100% renewable electricity across all our UK sites is a big step towards reducing our carbon footprint and delivering our ambitious sustainable business goals."

Danielle Lane, UK country manager at Vattenfall, said: "We are seeing more and more companies looking to secure fossil-free power for their business as they work towards net-zero carbon emissions."