General Motors' next big idea is literally blowing in the wind. Thursday, the automaker announced it will use wind power to manufacture more than half of the SUV's it produces annually at its Arlington Assembly Plant.
GM signed a 14-year agreement with EDP Renewables North America, which will provide the power from a wind farm in South Texas. The fifteen 261-foot-tall turbines they'll have access to can generate 115 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy. The company says that's enough power to build 125,000 vehicles.
"Our investment is helping accelerate the proliferation of clean energy in Texas and the use of wind as a reliable, renewable source of energy," said Jim DeLuca, GM executive vice president of Global Manufacturing. "Our sustainable manufacturing mindset benefits the communities in which we operate across the globe."
GM estimates the shift will reduce the Arlington Assembly Plant's energy costs by $2.8 million each year and reduce the plant's carbon dioxide emissions by 1 million metric tons over the course of the agreement.
Plant officials say they expect to start using the wind power in the fourth quarter of 2016.
