Facebook Signs 200 Megawatt Wind Power Purchase Agreement In Texas

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American online social media giant Facebook has signed a Power Purchase Agreement with Apex Clean Energy for 200 megawatts (MW) of the 525 MW Aviator Wind project set to be built in Coke County, Texas.

Image Credit: Facebook

Aviator Wind, which is being developed by Apex Clean Energy and owned by funds managed by Ares Management Infrastructure and Power is expected to begin operations in 2020 and is expected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 196,000 households. The project will be the largest single-phase wind project in Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the largest single-phase, single-site wind project in the United States.

According to Apex, Facebook signed a Power Purchase Agreement for 199.76 MW of the total project’s nameplate capacity which is intended to support the company’s operations in the region. The PPA is part of Facebook’s larger goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 75% and securing 100% of its operations electricity from renewable energry sources in 2020.

“As part of our goal to support 100% of our operations with renewable energy, we want to help drive the energy transition and increase access to wind and solar power around the world,” said Urvi Parekh, renewable energy manager at Facebook. “This project will be an important part of successfully reaching our targets, and we are thrilled to have the support of Ares Infrastructure and Power and Apex Clean Energy to bring this new wind energy online.”

“The ambitious sustainability goals of corporate leaders like Facebook will play a key role in accelerating the transition to renewable energy—faster than ever anticipated—in the years to come,” added Mark Goodwin, president and CEO of Apex Clean Energy. “With this power purchase agreement, Facebook continues to make strides toward achieving its renewable energy goals, driving meaningful progress within the industry, and paving a path for other corporations to do the same.”

Facebook was the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in 2018 and has signed a total of 2 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy and 1.5 GW of wind energy. In 2018, Facebook secured 75% of its electricity from renewable energy sources and, according to Bobby Hollis, Director of Global Energy, Environment, and Site Selection at Facebook, the company is “on track” to hit its goal of 100% in 2020.


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Joshua S Hill

I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

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