BOUSKOURA, Morocco—The global semiconductor company STMicroelectronics (STM) says it hopes to procure half of the energy needed for its plant here through wind power by 2022, compared to only 1 percent currently.

The company plans to purchase electricity from Morocco's national power grid that is produced by 12 turbines on a wind farm near the coast at Oualidia. Built by InnoVent, the turbines are scheduled to produce 36 megawatts by the end of this year, with annual output expected to reach more than 80 gigawatthours.

In December 2019, STM set up a 4,000 square meter solar car park containing 2,400 solar panels rated at 672 kilowatts, and 250 parking places with an annual production of more than 1 gigawatthour.

STM has also taken steps to reduce its indirect greenhouse gas emissions. For example, 1.3 gigawatthours per year will be saved by replacing conventional light bulbs with LEDs in a program started in September 2020.

“STMicroelectronics has committed to procuring 100 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2027, thanks to a combination of onsite solar power installations and agreements to purchase green-certified renewable energies,” says Rajita D'Souza, president of corporate social responsibility at STM. “The use of electricity from wind power at our Bouskoura plant in Morocco marks a major step forward for our group and reflects a trend that will be strengthened over time and expanded to include several of our sites.”

The plant produces up to 25 million integrated circuits per day and currently employs 2,800 people.