Coca-Cola leads the way in green energy through mega rooftop solar project

One of the largest single location rooftop solar projects in Sri Lanka at the Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka plant in Biyagama

Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd. (CCBSL) successfully installed one of the largest single location rooftop solar projects in Sri Lanka at its facility in Biyagama, as part of the company’s pledge towards sourcing renewable energy, and combatting climate change through the reduction of its carbon footprint by approximately 1.94Mt per annum. 

The solar project showcases a significant investment of over Rs. 200 million and comprises the installation of over 5,000 solar panels covering as much as 80% of the roof at its bottling premises. This capacity enhancement enables CCBSL to generate 2,733 MWh/yr of renewable energy to contribute to the national grid and is expected to produce 1.9Mw of electricity.

CCBSL Managing Director Mayank Arora said, “Our commitment to sustainable manufacturing has inspired our foray into generating renewable energy through rooftop solar panels, which will not only assist us in achieving carbon neutrality status in due course, but also contribute renewable electricity to the national grid. Energy security is a critical requirement for the country’s sustainable future and we are proud to play a proactive role in helping Sri Lanka achieve this. Coca-Cola Beverages is pioneering a host of social and environmental stewardship projects in local communities such as water stewardship, women’s empowerment and PET plastic recycling. This solar rooftop project is yet another instance of our long-term commitment to sustainability in Sri Lanka.”

The installation process took five months and was executed by reputed project partner and vendor, Hayleys Solar, and in partnership with the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). CCBSL’s pioneering solar rooftop project is a part of the Soorya Bala Sangramaya (Battle for Solar Energy) project scheme under CEB and the Sustainable Energy Authority, to mainstream renewable energy development, enhance power generation capacity and improve the environmental conditions in the country. It is also aligned to the national vision of using 100% renewable energy by the year 2050 and Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action.

Globally, more and more environmentally-conscious corporates are adopting the responsibility of shifting to cleaner energy, which is mirrored in Coca-Cola’s ambitious Climate Action program, with a target to reduce total Green House Gas emissions across its full global value chain by 25% by 2030 from a 2015 base-year, which is the share of carbon Coca-Cola needs to reduce as a company to help keep global warming safely below the 2-degree threshold aligned with Paris Agreement targets. CCBSL’s significant investment in solar energy in Sri Lanka contributes to this global target and brings the benefits of the project on its operations, to the local communities and to the country in the long run.