Reynolds American Inc., the BAT Group’s U.S. subsidiary, broke ground on the WaterHub at the Reynolds Operations Center in Tobaccoville, North Carolina. The WaterHub is an advanced water recycling facility and product of a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources. Several city and state leaders, NextEra Energy Resources and Reynolds representatives and others involved in the WaterHub project gathered Thursday as Reynolds demonstrated progress on its commitment to excellence in environmental stewardship with the project’s official groundbreaking celebration.
Once construction is complete, the WaterHub is expected to reclaim more than 60 million gallons of water per year, equivalent to the annual water supply of approximately 550 average U.S. households. This installation aims to reduce Reynolds’ environmental footprint and conserve water in Forsyth County’s Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin.
“Through the WaterHub, we expect to reduce water withdrawn at the Reynolds Operations Center by over 40 percent, which in turn would reduce the water withdrawn across our global operations sites by approximately 6 percent,” said Bernd Meyer, executive vice president of operations at the Reynolds organization, in a statement. “We are doing our part in preserving precious natural resources, and today celebrates a significant investment and long-term commitment to environmental sustainability.”
The WaterHub at the Reynolds Operations Center will be one of the few projects of its size in the U.S. using advanced water reclamation technologies, allowing Reynolds’ operating facilities to reduce their dependence on potable water for factory utility operations.
“At NextEra Energy Resources, we are dedicated to offering innovative solutions that help businesses like Reynolds in achieving their sustainability and environmental responsibility objectives,” said Gary Morris, vice president of distributed generation for NextEra Energy Resources. “The WaterHub not only actively conserves water resources but also bolsters operational resilience.”
This project complements Reynolds’ work to use water efficiently across its operations facilities. The American Snuff Company facility in Clarksville, Tennessee, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Whitaker Park site in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, both recently earned Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Certification. Reynolds’ Operations Center in Tobaccoville earned this AWS designation in 2022.
