Honda begins operation of the first wind farm by an automaker in Brazil

Honda Energy do Brasil Ltd (Honda Energy), Honda's wind power generation business subsidiary in Brazil, today began operation of its wind power generation facility.

With this, Honda becomes the first automaker in Brazil to start a wind power generation business. Honda Energy built its wind farm, an investment of approximately 100 million Brazilian reais (approximately Rs 243 crore), in the city of Xangri-lá in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil (approximately 1,000km south of Honda's current auto production plant in Sumaré, São Paulo). Honda Energy will be proactive in promoting the use of renewable energy in Brazil.

Honda Energy's wind farm will be equipped with nine wind power turbine units, and is expected to generate approximately 95,000 MWh of electricity per year, equivalent to Honda's current annual electricity needed for automobile production in Brazil (approximately 140,000 units). By generating renewable energy to cover the electricity needed for the plant, Honda is expecting to reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 2,200 t annually.

Honda has set a target to reduce CO₂ emissions from its global products by 30 percent by the end of 2020 compared to year 2000 levels. Striving to attain this goal, Honda has been strengthening its initiatives on a global basis to reduce CO₂ emissions from all business activities, including production and the supply chain.