LONDON, UK: In a move to advance its commitment to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030, Google has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Ørsted to purchase renewable energy generated by Helena Wind Farm for the next 15 years.

The project, which is located in Bee County, Texas, was commissioned in mid-2022 and provides low-cost electricity to the South ERCOT service territory, enough to power an estimated 90,000 homes.

This is the first agreement between Google and Ørsted in the US and the second globally, as both companies work together to contribute to Google’s goal to operate all its data centers, cloud regions, and offices on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. The PPA will enable Google to optimize hourly production by blending various resources.

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.”

The Helena Wind Farm is a 268 MW onshore wind farm located in Pawnee, Texas, and nearly 300 jobs were created to construct and operate the facility. The project represents a nearly half-billion-dollar investment in Bee County and will generate tens of millions in tax revenue to support the local school districts without raising taxes.

Ørsted’s Head of Origination at Ørsted Americas, Monica Testa, said: “As a trusted partner in providing clean energy solutions for our customers, we’re proud to support Google’s decarbonization goals on both a regional and global scale.

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.”

Ørsted aims to reach 17.5 GW of onshore renewables in 2030 and deliver approximately 1.5 GW of additional capacity annually while growing a clean energy portfolio consisting of wind, solar, storage, and renewable hydrogen.

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