As part of its commitment to reduce its environmental footprint, Thai Union Group PCL will install solar panels at its Indian Ocean Tuna (IOT) facility in the Seychelles, which will also support the country’s shift towards renewable energy.
The solar panels will cover 30 percent of the IOT plant and provide 8 percent of its total energy consumption needs, helping reduce the Company’s greenhouse gas emissions. The energy created from the panels will predominantly be used for IOT’s cold storage facility, which requires around-the-clock freezing.
“Thai Union has a firm commitment to tackling climate change and increasing the use of renewable energy is an important component of our global sustainability strategy, SeaChange®” said Ricardo Luzio, Plant Manager at IOT. “So, this project not only supports the Company’s commitment to responsible operations and efforts to reduce our environmental impact, it will also deliver savings which will be re-invested in the future expansion of the solar panels and, importantly, is in line with the Seychelles government’s renewable energy plan.”
As part of the project, IOT has signed a contract for the solar photovoltaic panels and to purchase energy from third-party provider Mettle Solar Investments, providing a cost savings compared to existing energy spending.
Luzio said that IOT – one of the world’s largest tuna processing plants – would spend around 300,000 Euros to reinforce the roof where the panels will be installed, install an inverter room with a fire wall, and prepare generators to receive the energy. Installation of the solar panels is expected to begin in August.
The investment further demonstrates Thai Union’s commitment to the Seychelles and comes after the Company installed solar panels on the roof of the housing provided by the Company for its expatriate workers.
About Thai Union
Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader, bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for more than 40 years.
Today, Thai Union is regarded as one of the world’s leading seafood producers and is one of the largest producers of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 132.4 billion (US$ 4.2 billion) and a global workforce of more than 44,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.
The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch, Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo, and ingredient and supplement brands UniQ™BONE, UniQ™DHA and ZEAvita.
As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behavior, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding participating company of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy. Find out more at seachangesustainability.org. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized when the company was listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the eighth consecutive year in 2021 and ranked number two in the world on the Food Products Industry Index. Thai Union was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the fifth straight year in 2020.
