Thermo Fisher: Powering Sites with 100% Renewable Energy

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Thermo Fisher Scientific's new solar project will will generate approximately 150,000MWh of renewable electricity annually
Thanks to a solar power agreement with X-ELIO, Thermo Fisher Scientific is closer to its goal of powering its European sites with 100% renewable energy

Biotech research company Thermo Fisher Scientific is no stranger to working toward — and beating — climate targets.

The company’s Chairman, President and CEO, Marc Casper, says: “Thermo Fisher is driven by a profound mission — to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.

“We also understand our obligation goes beyond enabling our customers’ success and extends to making the world a better place by supporting our communities, being a good steward of our planet and creating a great work environment for our colleagues.

Marc Casper, Chairman, President and CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific

“I am proud of what we’ve accomplished so far and deeply grateful to our global team for their passion for fulfilling our mission and delivering on our commitments to society.”

In a bid to further its sustainability credentials, Thermo Fisher Scientific is working with international renewable energy developer X-ELIO on a 10-year solar virtual power purchasing agreement (VPPA) that will increase its access to renewable electricity.

The goal? To wholly power its European operations with energy from renewable sources.

How solar will decarbonise Thermo Fisher Scientific’s pharmaceutical and healthcare operations

Known as the Lorca solar project, this facility — the product of the VPPA — is expected to be operational in early 2026.

This agreement, along with its ongoing Serbal solar project, will enable Thermo Fisher Scientific to match all its addressable European sites with 100% renewable electricity.

The company’s 73MW portion of the Lorca project will generate approximately 150,000MWh of renewable electricity annually, equivalent to powering 40,500 European homes for a year.

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This initiative, as well as working toward its European renewable goals, accelerates Thermo Fisher Scientific’s progress towards achieving 80% global renewable electricity by 2030.

The agreement includes a cohort of pharmaceutical partners — GSK, Gilead Sciences and Haleon — through the Energize initiative, helping reduce both Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. 

Thermo Fisher Scientific serves as the cohort lead for this agreement, which aligns with its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 against a 2018 baseline.

“When we collaborate with our customers and suppliers, we accelerate our collective progress toward net zero emissions,” says Konrad Bauer, Senior Vice President of Global Business Services at Thermo Fisher Scientific. 

Konrad Bauer, Senior Vice President of Global Business Services at Thermo Fisher Scientific

“Achieving 100% renewable electricity for our European sites is a significant milestone on our journey, and as cohort lead for this agreement facilitated by the Energize initiative, we are committed to leveraging our experience and insights to help enable similar milestones for our partners.”

The Energize initiative

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The Energize initiative is a collaborative programme that Thermo Fisher Scientific joined in 2021.

It is managed by Schneider Electric together with the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative and works with the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies to accelerate renewable energy adoption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Energize aims to help suppliers learn about and adopt renewable energy, particularly through power purchase agreements (PPAs).

The programme focuses on addressing Scope 2 and 3 emissions by enabling suppliers to participate in renewable energy markets. 

“Making the most out of our energy and resources is crucial as we collectively move toward more sustainable solutions across industries and around the world,” says John Powers, Vice President of Global Renewables at Schneider Electric.

John Powers, Vice President of Global Renewables at Schneider Electric

“The Energize programme aims to drive supply chain decarbonisation across the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries while serving as a playbook for other sectors as they look to power their operations with renewable energy.”

Sustainability at Thermo Fisher Scientific

Speaking at Sustainability LIVE: London, VP of Global Sustainability and Supply Chain Chris Shanahan shared how although there are trends and innovations that bring optimism when it comes to sustainability, it’s less about excitement and more about urgency.

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“So, as you think about the evolution of technology to really get after decarbonisation, you do need new technologies to come into play and I think that's the challenge out there for the industry,” he says.

In 2023, Thermo Fisher Scientific set its global renewable electricity commitment, aligning with the SMI Health Systems Task Force joint supplier standards. 

This commitment built upon the company's previously enhanced goal to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030, compared to 2018 levels.

Additionally, Thermo Fisher Scientific aims to power all its US facilities with 100% renewable electricity by 2026. 

This demonstrates the firm’s accelerated progress towards achieving net zero emissions worldwide alongside its leadership in driving sustainability across the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.


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