PepsiCo to make Cheetos, Lay's chips using green electricity

PepsiCo will phase out the use of natural gas at a factory in the Netherlands and adopt a system based on renewable electricity to make its deep-fried snacks.

The plan is an industry first that Pepsi says could become a template.

In the Netherlands, where Pepsi produces 1.6 million bags of Lay's and Cheetos snacks each year, the project will replace 4.5 million cubic meters of gas annually, eliminating 8,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Reducing natural gas use has become a primary priority in the Netherlands since Russia cut off supply to Europe and gas prices doubled.

The system, which uses an electrical resistance heater, will replace one 25-megawatt gas-fired boiler at the factory in the first phase, cutting emissions in half.

According to Pepsi spokesman Japo Ouwerkerk, if it works, they can replicate it in other locations all around the world.

Mitsubishi-owned Dutch energy business Eneco is supplying power from adjacent wind and solar farms. The heat storage system is made by the German company Kraftblock.

By the end of 2023, work will be finished in Broek op Langedijk, 90 kilometers north of Amsterdam.