As part of a project that also involves sites in Sweden and the United States, Amazon has announced a new renewable energy project in Donegal.
The company said as part of a long-term goal to power all Amazon Web Services (AWS) global infrastructure with renewable energy, the project will deliver wind-generated energy, eventually totalling more than 229 megawatts (MW), with expected generation of more than 670,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable energy annually. The new projects, said Amazon, are part of AWS’s long-term commitment to achieve 100% renewable energy for its global infrastructure. In 2018, AWS exceeded 50% renewable energy for its global infrastructure.
The 91.2 MW Donegal wind farm project will be developed by Invis Energy and is expected to deliver clean energy no later than the end of 2021. Amazon said the Donegal project will be built without any subsidies, meaning it will not be subject to the public service obligation (PSO) levy nor at any cost to the Irish energy consumer. As such, it is the first unsubsidised Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) project in Ireland, said Amazon.
The company said it will also purchase 91 MW of power from a new wind farm in Bäckhammar, Sweden, which is expected to deliver renewable energy by the end of 2020. The wind farm project in Tehachapi, California is expected to bring up to 47 MW of new renewable energy capacity by the end of 2020.
Once complete, said the company, the projects, combined with AWS’s previous nine renewable energy projects, are expected to generate more than 2,700,000 MWh of renewable energy annually.
“By 2030, 70% of Ireland’s electricity will come from renewable sources,” said Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton, TD. “Today that figure is at 30%. We must step up our ambition across the board. Projects led by the corporate sector will be a crucial part of our overall plan to deliver on this target. This announcement by Amazon is a landmark deal in Ireland, the first such corporate agreement in our country to provide unsubsidised renewable energy.”
“AWS’s investment in renewable projects in Ireland illustrates their continued commitment to adding clean energy to the grid and it will make a positive contribution to Ireland’s renewable energy goals,” said An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. “As a significant employer in Ireland, it is very encouraging to see Amazon taking a lead on this issue. We look forward to continuing to work with Amazon as we strive to make Ireland a leader on renewable energy.”
“Each of these projects brings us closer to our long-term commitment to use 100% renewable energy to power our global AWS infrastructure,” said Peter DeSantis, vice president, Global Infrastructure and Customer Support, Amazon Web Services. “These projects are well-positioned to serve AWS data centres in Ireland, Sweden, and the US. We expect more projects in 2019 as we continue toward our goal of powering all AWS global infrastructure with renewable energy.”
“We are delighted to partner with Amazon and support them to reach their 100% global renewable goal,” said Emma Tinker, Chief Investment Officer, Invis Energy. “Building the first subsidy-free project in Ireland is an incredibly exciting milestone both for the country and for Invis Energy.”
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