Japanese automotive giant Honda is set to invest around 100 million Brazilian reals (£32m) to develop a wind farm in Brazil.

The project will include nine turbines with a total capacity of 27MW and will be built in the city of Xangri-la in the southern Rio Grande do Sul state.

The plant is expected to generate 85MWh of power annually – equivalent to the demand of Honda’s entire vehicle production operation in Brazil – and cut carbon emissions by more than 2,200 tonnes.

The company said the project is part of its plans to minimise the environmental footprint of its business activities.

Carlos Eigi, President of Honda Energy do Brasil Ltda, a subsidiary of Honda Automotives do Brasil added: “Wind power generation has proven to be very effective in reducing CO2 emissions. Through the utilisation of renewable energy, Honda will continue to be proactive in pursuing environmental conservation activities in Brazil.”

Honda expects the farm to start running in September next year. It has set a target to cut carbon emissions from its global products by 30% by 2020.