Honda, the first automaker in Brazil to start a wind power generation business, has started the turbines at Xangri-lá in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil, approximately 1,000km (600 miles) south of the company’s production plant in Sumaré, São Paulo.
The wind farm is equipped with nine wind power turbine units and is expected to generate approximately 95,000 MWh of electricity per year, equivalent to Honda’s current annual electricity needed for vehicle production in Brazil which totals around 140,000 units.
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By generating renewable energy to cover the electricity needed for the plant, the automaker expects to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 2,200 tonnes annually.
The wind farm represents an investment of approximately BRL100m (US$39m). Carlos Eigi, president of Honda Energy do Brasil, said: “Since Honda began its business activities in Brazil in 1976, the company has been cooperating with the local community and striving to minimise the environmental footprint of our production activities. I am very much pleased that Honda made another significant step toward the utilization of renewable energy by starting the operation of our wind farm today. Under our global environmental slogan – ‘Blue Skies for Our Children’ – Honda will continue to be proactive in pursuing environmental conservation activities in Brazil.”
Honda has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions from its global products by 30% by the end of 2020 compared to 2000 levels. It has been strengthening its initiatives on a global basis to reduce CO2 emissions from all business activities, including production and the supply chain.
