Bacardi Corporation, part of the Bermuda-based Bacardi Ltd. group of companies, has unveiled the largest wind turbine installation in Puerto Rico designed to harness natural wind energy to help power the company's top global distillery near San Juan.

The 250,000 tourists who flock to the Casa Bacardi Visitor Center each year will not only learn about the history and production of the rum, but also that natural wind energy that powers the centre.

"While many know Bacardi for great rums and cocktails, Bacardi also has been a leader in corporate responsibility and environmental progress," said Joaquin Bacardi, president and chief executive of Cataño-based Bacardi Corporation.

"We're always looking for ways to help the environment and reduce our carbon footprint. Our latest innovation with these two specialised wind turbines seizes the power of the wind adding more force to Bacardi's overall environmental commitment to save energy."

The two Bacardi wind turbine units, which can be seen from miles away, are industrial scale at 250 kilowatts (kWh) each and are owned by Cataño-based Aspenall Energies, which will sell the electricity produced by wind to Bacardi under a power purchased agreement. With their blades, the turbines are 137 feet high and have a rotor diameter of 75 feet.

The two turbines are expected to generate approximately one million kWh of electricity per year, accounting for three to seven percent of the power used by Bacardi, roughly the consumption of the facility's tourism-related activities at its Casa Bacardi Visitor Center with an expected carbon offset of more than 900 tonnes of CO2 per year. One hundred percent of the power generated by the wind turbines will be consumed by the Bacardi facility.

This project is the first step in utilising wind power as a renewable energy source for Bacardi and the company said it would consider additional wind solutions and other energy saving initiatives. The Bacardi turbine installation will be owned, operated and maintained by Aspenall Energies.

To save water usage at the Cataño site, Bacardi treats wastewater that is then used in cooling towers during the production process. This saves 22,000 gallons of water every day.

Other environmental initiatives at the Bacardi facility in Puerto Rico include recycling old ageing barrels by dismantling and chopping them and giving the barrel chips to employees as mulch for their gardens and as well as spread on facility landscaping. The company also cuts and sews old banners into reusable shopping bags for employees.