McDonald’s Corp. and eBay Inc. are purchasing power from Lightsource bp from what will be Louisiana’s largest solar project, located 30 miles northwest of Baton Rouge in Pointe Coupee Parish. Once complete, the 345 MW Ventress Solar project will generate over 600,000 MWh of energy annually.
Construction of the over $300 million privately funded solar farm is expected to begin as early as the end of 2021 on the Ventress Solar farm, with commercial operation starting in mid-2023. Lightsource bp is developing the project and will be the long-term owner and operator.
“As one of the world’s largest restaurant companies, McDonald’s is uniquely positioned to help spur significant action around climate change,” says Emma Cox, global renewable energy lead at McDonald’s. “Our renewable energy deal with Lightsource bp will not only create Louisiana’s largest solar project and serve as the latest milestone in making significant progress toward our science-based emissions reduction target for 2030, but also demonstrate our belief that meaningful solutions to building a sustainable future require partnership and collaboration.”
“At eBay, investing in clean energy remains a focus of our business as we aim to attain 100 percent renewable energy by 2025,” explains Renee Morin, chief sustainability officer at eBay. “This project enables us to source the clean energy equivalent of our data center. Our collaboration with Lightsource bp and McDonald’s uniquely propels our shared goal to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy.”
