Renewable energy for AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is to build a new renewable energy plant to provide clean heat and power for its Macclesfield, Speke, Cambridge and Luton sites.

The pharmaceutical giant is partnering with clean energy company Future Biogas to build the energy plant to generate biomethane as a substitute for natural gas.

The new plant will have the capacity to provide up to 125 Gigawatt hours of biomethane, equivalent to the energy demand to heat over 9,000 homes.

The project will also provide additional renewable gas to the UK gas grid.

The plans form part of the company’s commitment to be zero carbon across its operations by the end of 2025 and carbon negative by 2030. 

Heat and power are critical to the manufacture of medicines and therefore decarbonising the healthcare supply chain depends on access to clean sources of heat. 

Alongside clean heat and power, to achieve its net zero goal, AstraZeneca will transition to 100% electric vehicles, 100% renewable electricity and launch next-generation respiratory inhalers.   

Juliette White, Vice President Global SHE & Operations Sustainability, at AstraZeneca, said the plan is part of the company’s aim to be carbon zero by 2025:

we are committed to operating in a responsible way that recognises the interconnection between the needs of patients, society and the limitations of our planet. We’re proud to be working in partnership with innovative organisations like Future Biogas to enable the sustainable discovery, development and manufacture of medicines and vaccines.

”Through such collaborations, we’re making progress on our ambition to become carbon zero across our operations by end of 2025 and carbon negative across our value chain by 2030.”