Heineken announced that it has reached a new clean energy milestone, reaching 100% renewable energy usage in the production of its beers and ciders in Spain. The company said that it is the first brewer in the country to complete its energy transition in brewing.
The achievement follows the launch by Heineken in 2021 of a series of climate goals, including targets to reach net zero in its own operations by 2030, and its full value chain, “from barley to bar,” by 2040.
In a post announcing the achievement the company said that one of its key challenges to transitioning to clean energy in brewing was the decarbonization of industrial heat. The company has announced several agreements over the past few years to reduce the use of fossil fuels in its operations, including a deal with Engie in 2023 to launch a solar thermal plant at its brewery in Seville to use solar energy heat and cool water in its brewing process.
Etienne Strijp, President of HEINEKEN Spain, said:
“Decarbonizing industrial heat has been an enormous challenge that strengthens our competitiveness and demonstrates that the energy transition can happen at scale when there is ambition, innovation, and partnerships.”
Overall, Heineken said that it has mobilized more than €80 million in Spain in areas ranging from photovoltaics to solar thermal, biogas, biomass, and biomethane.
Heineken Chairman and CEO Dolf van der Brink said:
“This did not happen overnight. It is the result of almost a decade of bold innovation, long‑term investment, and fantastic collaboration with partners like Iberdrola, Engie and CSIN. Together, we have turned our breweries in Seville, Jaén, Valencia and Madrid into frontrunners in renewable brewing.”
