Nichirei Group introduces offsite wind PPA across 14 Tohoku sites

Food company Nichirei Corporation and Tohoku Electric Power have introduced an off-site corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) utilising wind power across 14 Nichirei Group operational facilities in northeastern Japan on 1 August. The contract supplies renewable electricity to manufacturing plants and refrigerated logistics centres across the Tohoku region, marking the group’s first wind-powered corporate PPA initiative.

Cold storage and food processing operations require reliable electricity around the clock. While solar power provides clean energy during daylight hours, it is insufficient for Nichirei to meet their overnight cooling demands that is essential to preserve food. This is where wind generation provides a complementary solution. It produces power continuously through the night, enabling facilities to maintain lower-emission cooling operations during off-peak hours.

Under the agreement, power is generated at a 1,990-kilowatt wind power plant owned by Kuroshio Wind Power. Retailer Tohoku Electric Power transmits this renewable electricity to three food processing sites, including the Shiroishi Plant and two farms, alongside 11 logistics hubs operated by Nichirei Logistics Tohoku and Logistics Network.

The 14 facilities expect to receive approximately 4,100 megawatt-hours of wind electricity annually, reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 1,700 tonnes. Furthermore, by combining this PPA with additional renewable energy tariffs provided by Tohoku Electric Power, subsidiary Nichirei Logistics Tohoku Inc. has achieved 100 percent renewable energy coverage across its operational electricity supply.