Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Citroen parent company Stellantis and Detroit-based energy provider DTE Energy announced an agreement to add 400 megawatts of new solar projects in Michigan, enabling the automotive manufacturer to make significant progress towards its sustainability goals.

The deal marks the second largest-ever renewable energy purchase from a U.S. utility, and significantly adds to the solar installations in the state.

Mark Stewart, COO, Stellantis North America, said:

“While this day and this historic agreement are about clean and efficient power, I’d like to suggest that today is also about the power of partnerships in this new era of sustainable mobility. Our success — indeed our survival — will depend more and more on how completely we embrace the values of collaboration and partnership as strategic imperatives that help us achieve breakthrough business outcomes.”

Under the new agreement, Stellantis will purchase clean energy through DTE’s voluntary renewable energy program, MIGreenPower. DTE is the largest producer of renewable energy in Michigan.

Stellantis said that through its participation in the MIGreenPower program, it will be able to attribute 100% of its electricity use at 70 southeast Michigan sites to solar by 2026, reducing the company’s carbon emissions in North America by 50% and across its manufacturing facilities by 30%.

The additional 400 megawatts of solar projects will avoid more than 670,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Stellantis recently announced ambitions to achieve net zero globally by 2038 as part of its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, beginning by cutting CO2 emissions in half by the end of the decade.

DTE’s MIGreenPower program is among the largest voluntary renewable energy programs in the country with more than 800 businesses enrolled in the program and 75,000 residential customers.

Jerry Norcia, chairman and chief executive officer, DTE Energy, said:

“We want to thank Stellantis for being a great partner, for joining MIGreenPower and for supporting the development of new solar energy projects here in Michigan. Investments like this accelerate our state’s transition to clean energy, create jobs and strengthen our state’s economy. Adding 400 megawatts of new solar for Stellantis will result in a cleaner environment for Michigan families, communities and businesses, and create hundreds of jobs during project construction.” 

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