Beer set to be brewed with Queensland sunshine

XXXX brewery is set to be powered by 100% renewable electricity following an agreement to use electricity from the Woolooga Solar Farm. Through its owner, Lion, the brewery signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to procure electricity from the Lightsource bp solar farm in Woolooga.

Steven Miles, Deputy Premier, said the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan encourages businesses to invest in decarbonisation, with an increasing number wanting to decarbonise operations and offer low-emission products.

“With the PPA in place, Lion has reached their target of 100% purchased renewable electricity by 2025 in Australia, two years ahead of schedule. And they’re Australia’s first large-scale, carbon-neutral brewer,” Miles said.

Mick de Brenni, Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen, said, “The Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan lays out a plan to reduce household and business electricity emissions by 96% by 2040, protecting and growing Queensland manufacturing jobs.”

According to de Brenni, the move meant all of Lion’s beers brewed across Australia would now be brewed with 100% renewable electricity.

Lion Sustainability Director Justin Merrell said, “All of our beer produced here — up to 250 million litres annually — is now made using 100% renewable electricity. This agreement will stop around 138,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere. That’s the equivalent of taking 45,000 cars off the road.”

According to Merrell, Lion became Australia’s first certified large-scale carbon neutral brewer in 2020.

Image credit: iStock.com/coldsnowstorm