Energy provider Ørsted announced the signing of a 15-year, 150 MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Google for renewable energy generated from the Texas-based Helena Wind Farm. The deal marks the first agreement between Google and Ørsted in the U.S., and the second globally, following a 2021 offshore wind agreement in Germany.
The 268 MW wind farm, commissioned in 2022, forms part of Ørsted’s 518 MW Helena Energy Center in Bee County, Texas, and is powered by 66 turbines over 15,000 acres, providing enough energy to power an estimated 90,000 homes.
According to the companies, the new agreement will contribute to Google’s commitment to operate all its data centers, cloud regions and offices on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) by 2030. Google parent Alphabet announced a 24/7 CFE ambition in 2020, aiming to run its entire business on carbon-free energy by 2030. Operating on 24/7 CFE means matching electricity demand with CFE supply every hour of every day, in every region where the company operates. Last month, Google announced a collaboration with renewable transaction infrastructure provider LevelTen Energy to provide a faster and easier RFP process for PPAs, speeding up the time to negotiate and execute deals by around 80%.
Sana Ouji, Energy Lead at Google, said:
“Building a 24/7 carbon-free energy portfolio requires us to blend various resources to optimize for hourly production, and that’s exactly what this project helps us accomplish. We’re excited to continue our partnership with Ørsted and add this wind project to our existing solar portfolio in ERCOT as we serve customers out of our Dallas cloud region.”
Monica Testa, Head of Origination at Ørsted Americas, added:
“Google’s leadership in the investment of renewable energy and commitment to advancing 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030 sets a strong example for companies across the globe and we look forward to helping them achieve that ambition.”
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