McKesson Partners with NRG to Install Solar Arrays at McKesson Facility

McKessontoday announced that the company has entered into a long-term agreement with NRG  to purchase solar power from solar arrays that NRG will install at a majorMcKesson facility. The solar power purchase agreement represents the first step of a multiphaseplan to expand McKesson's environmental sustainability efforts while driving costefficiencies over the long term.

"McKesson's commitment to renewable energy is an integral part of our sustainabilitystrategy as well as our focus on improving operational efficiency and driving shareholdervalue," said Michael Huaco, SVP and Global Head of Real Estate, McKesson. "The recentinnovations in solar technologies and materials are primed to bring these benefits to ourindustry on a broad scale."

As part of the solar power purchase agreement, solar arrays will be installed at theMcKesson distribution center in Robbinsville, New Jersey. The facility will be furnished with acombination of rooftop and ground-mounted arrays and will have a capacity of up to threemegawatts of electricity. NRG will work with McKesson and local authorities to deliver theproject from initial planning to final installation, which is estimated to be fully operational in2018. The energy solution with NRG was planned in collaboration with SustainabilityRoundtable Inc.'s Renewable Energy Procurement Services (REPS) and CBRE's EnergyPlatform.

"We're proud to bring renewable energy to McKesson," said Rob Gaudette, President of NRGBusiness Solutions. "Our mission is to create a sustainable energy future by safely providingreliable and cleaner power. Helping companies achieve their sustainability goals is how thatmission takes hold, leading us to innovative solutions for complex challenges, and takingthe guesswork out of the equation for businesses of all types."

In addition to generating environmental benefits, the solar arrays will reduce costs forMcKesson, producing electricity equal to approximately 74% of the facility's annualconsumption. The estimated electricity produced in one year of the project is equivalent topowering about 400 homes. The next phase of McKesson's multi-phase strategy willcontinue to focus on developing additional arrays on McKesson distribution centers in theU.S.

This agreement is part of McKesson's broader environmental sustainability efforts. Inaddition to reducing its carbon footprint through energy efficiency gains in facilities, thecompany also has programs to recycle, monitor water usage, proactively manage hazardousand regulated waste, and optimize fleet usage to reduce fuel consumption. Several of itsfacilities are also certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design) standard and WELL (a system that measures features ofthe built environment impact on human health).