GM's Arlington, Texas plant is one of the most environmentally friendly in the country.
General Motors’ Arlington Assembly plant has earned a spot on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Top 100 List of the largest users of green power.
The Arlington plant ranks 76 on list, earning the recognition of the Green Power Partnership effort to power all its global facilities with 100% renewable energy by 2050.
“Receiving this recognition from the EPA is a true honor for the men and women at Arlington Assembly and UAW Local 276,” said Lamar Rucker, plant executive director at Arlington Assembly. “We take great pride in responsibly building world-class vehicles for our customers around the globe,” he said.
GM’s Arlington Assembly will now run on 100% clean wind energy following the recent opening of the Cactus Flats Wind Farm. The 148-megawatt facility based in Concho County operates in partnership with Southern Power and General Mills.
(GM increasing Bolt production, per sustainability report. Click Here for the story.)
The energy sourced from Cactus Flats combined with power procured from the Los Mirasoles Wind Farm meets 100 percent of the electricity demand of 16 GM offices and facilities and more than 10,000 GM and GM subsidiary employees across Texas and the southeast U.S.
“Renewable energy is an important part of GM’s vision for a zero emissions future,” said Rob Threlkeld, global manager of Renewable Energy. “The EPA’s support and recognition sends a strong message that transitioning to renewables is good for business and the environment, and helps make a greener grid and cleaner energy more accessible for everyone.”
The energy sourced from Cactus Flats combined with power procured from the Los Mirasoles Wind Farm meets 100% of the electricity demand of 16 GM offices and facilities and more than 10,000 GM and GM subsidiary employees across Texas and the southeast U.S.
“The list of the largest users of green power across the nation is proof that good business practices can also benefit the environment,” said James Critchfield, program manager of the EPA’s Green Power Partnership.
“EPA applauds the leading organizations in the Green Power Partnership’s Top Partner Rankings for their notable commitment to expanding their use of green power and protecting the environment,” Critchfield said.
(Click Here for more about GM revealing plans to electrify fleet in China.)
General Motors plans to have 100% of its power supplied by renewable resources by 2050.
Arlington Assembly has operated since 1954 and builds the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL and Cadillac Escalade.
GM has been moving away from using coal as the primary source of energy for its factory operations for some time.
The company began by using landfill gas in places like Orion, Michigan, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. But has now expanded the effort to make more use of wind and solar power, which is now widely used on factories in factories in Mexico and Spain
GM said the long-term approach to sourcing renewable energy has resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the company and further reductions of its environmental footprint.
GM has pledged to meet the electricity needs at all its global operations with renewable energy by 2050. By the end of 2018, GM will be about 20% of the way there.
(To see more about GM’s increased use of wind power, Click Here.)
In 2018, GM was the only automaker named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index for the fourth consecutive year and the World Index for the second year. The company shares best practices in renewable energy strategies with other companies and organizations so they too can reduce risk and energy costs.