Premier FoodsThe bakery which produces Mr Kipling cakes and pies will soon be powered by the sun thanks to a £2.1m solar farm installed at the site in South Yorkshire.
The 2.2mw solar farm has been installed on 2.9 hectares (7.2 acres) of land at Premier Foods’ Carlton Bakery in Barnsley.
Once it becomes fully operational later this month, it will power three-quarters of the factory’s energy, from cake mixers to office lighting, the company said.
Nick Brown, ESG Director at Premier Foods, said: “By generating more of our energy needs on site, we’re not only reducing our carbon footprint but making our operations even more resilient.”
He said when the bakery opened in the 1970s it was the largest purpose-built bakery in the world, and it remains the biggest bakery in the UK.
Mr Brown added: “It’s also positive that the solar farm has the capability to potentially export electricity back into the local electricity grid, when we are producing more electricity than we need.”
The solar project is expected to reduce the factory’s carbon emissions by 468 tonnes per year and deliver savings in annual energy costs, something it said will support the resilience of the business which is a key local employer.
Premier FoodsThe Carlton Bakery is one of the region’s largest food production facilities, employing up to 1,000 people at peak production.
Steve Morton, Manufacturing Director and Factory General Manager at Carlton Bakery, added: “The whole team is excited to see the solar panels go live. Carlton has been part of the community for over 50 years, and over that time the site has changed a great deal – this is the next really exciting step in its story.”
Premier Foods has rolled out solar power at its other manufacturing sites, including at its Stoke-on-Trent bakery, and is investing in another project in Ashford, Kent.