GRAND RAPIDS – Steelcase is getting into wind power in an even bigger way. On Tuesday, the office furniture maker announced a 12-year power purchase agreement with Apex Clean Energy for 25 megawatts of wind power, nearly half of Steelcase’s renewable energy purchases.
Under Steelcase’s long-term PPA with Apex’s Grant Plains Wind project, a 150-megawatt facility in Grant County, Oklahoma, Steelcase is committed to support production of approximately 100 million kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable wind energy each year. This amount is equal to approximately 70 percent of Steelcase’s U.S. electricity usage, or roughly the electricity needed to power 9,100 homes per year.
“Our decision to partner with Apex and execute a long-term renewable energy agreement reflects our longstanding commitment to drive a clean energy landscape,” said Steelcase CEO Jim Keane. “At a time when businesses and governments are working to align on climate strategies, we maintain a sense of urgency and optimism. We are focused on finding new ways to reduce our overall energy use and investing in innovative, economically beneficial projects like this one to take one step closer to a sustainable energy future.”
Since 2014, Steelcase has invested in renewable energy credits equivalent to 100 percent of its global electricity consumption. This latest investment directly supports the construction of a new clean energy facility set to begin operations in 2016, and further diversify the company’s renewable energy portfolio.
“After a record-setting 2015 for corporate renewable energy purchasing, we commend Steelcase for starting off 2016 with such a powerful long-term commitment for clean wind energy,” said Lily Donge, a principal at nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute and its Business Renewables Center, of which Steelcase and Apex are a member and sponsor, respectively.
Steelcase has a long history of supporting renewable energy development that dates back to 2001.
Steelcase is one of the top 50 green power users in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and received a Green Power Leadership Award from the EPA in 2014.
AApex Clean Energy builds, owns, and operates utility-scale wind and solar power facilities. Last year, Apex completed 1,042 megawatts of new wind capacity, enough to power over half a million homes. For more information, visit www.apexcleanenergy.com.
