Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain and Ireland (SBF GB&I) has announced plans to electrify its factory in Coleford, Gloucestershire and reduce the facility’s reliance on natural gas.
The Lucozade and Ribena maker will spend £6m to upgrade the site’s current 11 kilovolt (kv) electricity connection to a 33kv connection, allowing it to become independent of its current gas turbine.
Planning permission for the upgrades has been submitted and the supplier expects to complete the upgrades by 2026.
The new electricity model would increase the factory’s access to electricity from renewable sources, reducing SBF GB&I’s Scope 1 emissions by an estimated 58%, it said.
The supplier had previously set a 2030 target to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50%.
The 33kv connection would also deliver efficiencies throughout the factory by reducing external outages and power cuts, said SBF GB&I.
“This £6m investment represents a significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint,” said Karl Ottomar, SBF GB&I supply chain director. “Not only will it put us on track to achieve greater emissions reductions quicker, but it allows us to focus on even more sustainability projects and the future integration of renewable energy.”
Lucozade supplies were significantly disrupted earlier this year after a combination of industrial action and a fatality in April caused lengthy production shutdowns at the Coleford site.
The death of one of its workers at the facility in Colefield “compounded” supply issues already being faced in the wake of strike action in February, SB GB&I warned wholesalers in May.
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