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  • Volkswagen opts for renewable energy in Brazil

    Two hydropower plants to cover 40 percent of power demand

    Wolfsburg, 24 June 2011 - Volkswagen do Brasil is investing 120 million euros in the construction of two hydropower plants. The two plants will have a total rating of 48.3 megawatts and will supply almost 40 percent of the electric power required by the company. Volkswagen is the first automaker in Brazil to invest in the generation of clean power from renewable sources.

    One of the two power plants has already been in operation since March 2010 and the second plant is due to be completed in 2013. Both facilities are located in the federal state of São Paulo, where Volkswagen do Brasil operates three of its four plants. In the course of construction work, some 500 new jobs will be created in the region.

    The expansion of power generation from renewable sources at Volkswagen do Brasil will be accompanied by a large number of nature preservation projects in the region. For example, Volkswagen has established a green belt with a length of 5.8 kilometers around the power plant reservoir. The woodlands form part of a reforestation program for 100 indigenous tree species with a total area of 116.5 hectares. To protect animal species in the area, the Fauna Monitoring and Preservation Program has also been launched.

    The Volkswagen Group is paying increasing attention to the conservation of resources at its 62 production facilities throughout the world and has set itself the target of reducing CO2 emissions from production by 40 percent by 2020.
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