Wind To Power Thirty-Three Southern Alberta McDonald’s

McDonald’s Canada Owner-Operator, Max Pasley Enterprises Ltd.,  and ENMAX Corporation announced today an agreement to supply green power to 33 McDonald’s in Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge. Under the agreement, one quarter of the electricity needs will be supplied from wind-generated electricity.

ENMAX Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of ENMAX, will provide the green power through its Greenmax program. The green power will be supplied from wind farms in southern Alberta including McBride Lake, Canada’s largest wind farm of which ENMAX owns 50 per cent.

"We’re pleased to supply McDonald’s with wind power to operate their southern Alberta facilities,” said James McKee, vice president sales, ENMAX Energy Corporation. “Whenever possible we work with organizations to develop solutions to meet their energy needs while supporting their corporate values. In this case, we were able to develop a contract that supports McDonald’s long-standing commitment to environmental protection."

The contract means 33 McDonald’s will purchase 25 per cent of their total electricity supply from Greenmax. The power, amounting to 4,065 megawatt hours annually is equivalent to reducing 4,065 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This is the same amount of CO2 that would be reduced by more than 440,000 fully-grown trees per year.

“At McDonald’s, we’re constantly working with our suppliers to ensure we continue to make a difference in the important area of environmental sustainability,” said Max Pasley, McDonald’s local Owner-Operator. “McDonald’s cares very much for the environment, not only for today, but for future generations, and this agreement with ENMAX is another example of our commitment to being a responsible company.”

ENMAX Energy’s Greenmax program is one of the largest green power marketing programs in North America. ENMAX was the first Canadian utility to give customers the option to support the development of wind-generated power in 1998. Today, the program has more than 10,000 residential customers and about 200 commercial customers.

ENMAX Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of The City of Calgary, provides electricity, natural gas and value-added services to about 420,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Alberta through its subsidiary companies. For more information, please visit the company’s website at enmax.com.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s is the leading foodservice company in the world. McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited and its Canadian franchisees own and operate more than 1,300 restaurants and employ more than 77,000 Canadians coast to coast. Over 65 per cent of McDonald's Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent entrepreneurs. For more information about McDonald’s Canada, visit the company’s website at http://www.mcdonalds.ca/.