Mars’ Lithuanian Wind Power Deal for Pet Food Manufacturing

Mars has entered a long-term power purchase agreement with European Energy for the majority of output from the Skuodas Wind Farm in Lithuania. The wind farm is owned by European Energy and is designed to help decarbonise and electrify Europe. Mars is a snacking, food and pet care company.

According to Alerion, a standard two MW wind turbine can avoid the emissions of 1,450 tonnes of CO₂ annually. The Skuodas Wind Farm is expected to have an installed capacity of 158.4 MW. In total, the wind farm is expected to generate approximately 490 GWh of renewable electricity annually, roughly the amount needed to power approximately 250,000 homes a year.

The contract includes bundled guarantees of origin, enabled by renewable energy from new-build capacity. The wind farm is set to allow Mars to cover its own consumption and value chain with its own verified renewable electricity. The agreement between Mars and European Energy could represent a development in Mars' Renewables Acceleration Programme.

This acquisition supports the company's efforts for clean and renewable energy across its full value chain to advance net zero ambitions.

Corporate PPA enables new capacity

Jens-Peter Zink is Deputy CEO of European Energy. "This agreement shows how companies like Mars are actively enabling new renewable generation," says Jens-Peter.

"Through this collaboration, we are bringing the Skuodas wind farm forward and adding substantial new, domestically produced capacity to Lithuania's energy mix." He adds that corporate PPAs could translate commitments into real infrastructure and strengthen national energy independence in Lithuania.

The project is expected to go live in 2028. The acquisition of the wind farm is set to support Mars' pet food manufacturing facility in Lithuania. The wind farm aims to secure a long-term source of renewable electricity while reinforcing the site's role as a contributor to the company's export performance.

Kevin Rabinovitch is Global VP Sustainability at Mars. "At Mars, we're focused on turning climate commitments into measurable progress and action with real-world infrastructure," says Kevin.

Renewable electricity across operations

"This agreement with European Energy helps bring new wind power online in Lithuania and strengthens our ability to extend credible renewable electricity across our value chain," says Kevin. He notes the agreement marks another step under the Renewables Acceleration Programme, helping scale clean electricity and keep the company moving toward its net zero ambitions.

In 2025, Mars signed its first set of agreements, one of these being a European contract that launched more than 100 solar projects in Poland and three in the US.

In 2026, Mars also acquired 70% of the output from the Kölvallen Wind Farm in Sweden through a long-term agreement.

Mars is advancing an approach to renewable energy by scaling its electricity demand across its entire value chain to accelerate the transition to cleaner power. In alignment with the United Nations goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, Mars is moving beyond strategies that rely on persuading individual suppliers to adopt renewables, an approach often limited in speed and scale.

Instead, through its Renewables Acceleration strategy, the company aims to leverage its size and purchase power to bring eight to nine terawatt-hours of electricity demand into the renewable energy market. This demand spans farms, factories, logistics and product use.

Extending renewable energy demand

This model could enable faster deployment of renewable infrastructure while extending impact beyond Mars' own operations. The approach could transform the company from a two TWh to a larger renewable energy buyer.

Mars aims to support system-wide decarbonisation and cut around three million tonnes of carbon emissions. The company states this could contribute to a net zero future while strengthening sustainability across its brands and value chain.

The Skuodas Wind Farm agreement forms part of Mars' strategy to directly procure renewable electricity rather than relying on individual supplier adoption. The wind farm's domestic production in Lithuania could support the country's energy independence objectives.

The bundled guarantees of origin in the contract are enabled by renewable energy from new-build capacity. This mechanism is designed to allow Mars to verify the renewable electricity flowing through its value chain.