As part of its commitment to sustainable changes, Ardent Mills has announced that it has signed a 25-year agreement with US Solar to purchase an expected 1.8 million kWh annually-under-a-subscription plan supporting US Solar’s Goodhue County, Minnesota solar gardens.

The premiere flour-milling and ingredient company’s new subscription plan is expected to reduce energy costs at Ardent Mills’ Hastings Mill, the first operating mill in Minnesota. While the solar gardens will not directly provide power to the Hastings Mill, Ardent Mills’ agreement to subscribe to these solar gardens is crucial in enabling the gardens to be built, bringing more solar energy onto the local electrical grid.

“Ardent Mills’ subscription is key to US Solar’s development of the solar gardens in Goodhue County. These gardens will bring more clean, local solar energy onto the electric grid,” says Martin Mobley, US Solar CEO.

Ardent Mills has pursued sustainability improvements to benefit communities, customers, and consumers. The company detailed many of these initiatives in its annual Sustainability Report for Fiscal 2019, which was released in July.

“These projects are in line with our commitment to sustainable energy and will further bolster the renewable energy market in Minnesota,” says Jeff Zyskowski, VP Supply Chain at Ardent Mills and the Senior Leadership Team sponsor, in regards to sustainability. “Supporting renewable energy in any capacity is a priority for Ardent Mills and critical piece of our strategic plan for growth.”