Diageo Opens Renewable Brewery in Ireland

Diageo has opened a new brewery in County Kildare that will run on 100% renewable electricity, part of a $350 million investment the company says is meant to support rising global demand for Guinness while cutting emissions and water use in production.

The Littleconnell Brewery, opened on May 11 by Ireland’s prime minister, Micheál Martin, and Diageo’s chief executive, Sir Dave Lewis, is one of the company’s largest brewing investments in Ireland in years. The site was built in under 18 months on a 40-acre campus and is designed to produce beer for both the Irish market and export markets. Diageo said the brewery will make brands including Rockshore, Harp, Smithwick’s, Kilkenny and Carlsberg.

The company said it plans to invest another $466 million at the site over the next three years to build a second brewery focused on Guinness and Guinness 0.0. That expansion would more than double capacity at Littleconnell and is intended to help meet what Diageo described as surging demand for both products.

The project is part of a broader investment program of nearly €1 billion, or about $1.17 billion, in Ireland between 2020 and 2029. Diageo said the new brewery strengthens its brewing network in Ireland and supports future growth in exports from the country.

Energy use is central to the project. Diageo said the brewery operates entirely on renewable electricity and uses advanced brewing systems meant to reduce energy consumption and water use. The company estimates that the site will avoid as much as 15,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year compared with a conventional brewery of similar size.

The opening comes as large food and beverage companies face pressure to cut emissions from manufacturing while keeping up with demand. Diageo said Littleconnell is meant to show that high-volume brewing can be paired with lower-carbon operations without sacrificing output.

The company said the construction phase supported about 650 jobs and that the brewery has created more than 50 permanent skilled positions. Many of those jobs involve operating energy-efficient systems at the facility.

Martin called the investment a sign of confidence in Ireland’s role as a sustainable food and drink exporter. Diageo said the project also received support from Enterprise Ireland.

Littleconnell joins other Diageo investments in Ireland, including work at St James’s Gate in Dublin and at its packaging facility in Belfast. Together, those projects are part of the company’s effort to expand production capacity, support Guinness 0.0 and reduce the carbon footprint of its brewing operations as demand continues to grow.