GM Signs Solar Power Deal for 3 Assembly Plants

As part of an ongoing campaign to use renewable energy, General Motors has signed a 15-year renewable energy purchase agreement with NorthStar Clean Energy for three GM assembly plants.

NorthStar’s Newport Solar project in Newport, Arkansas, will support the electricity needs of GM’s Lansing Delta Township Assembly and Lansing Grand River Assembly in Michigan and the Wentzville Assembly site in Missouri by adding renewable energy directly to the grid GM uses.

A Step Toward Carbon Neutrality by 2040

This is GM’s largest power purchase deal yet and an important milestone in its goal to be carbon neutral by 2040.  In 2022, GM announced it had finalized the energy sourcing agreements required to secure 100% of the energy needed to power all our U.S. sites with renewable electricity by the end of 2025.

NorthStar Clean Energy is a unit of CMS Energy, and the Newport project has a capacity of 180 megawatts.

“By expanding our renewable electricity portfolio, we are taking a major step forward in reducing our carbon footprint and advancing our broader sustainability goals,” says Rob Threlkeld, GM director of global energy strategy. “This facility not only supports our renewable electricity strategy, but also demonstrates our dedication to a sustainable future for all.”

GM now has sourcing agreements in place from 17 renewable energy plants across 11 states, making it the automotive industry’s largest buyer of renewable power by capacity.