Tech giant Google sealed its largest ever deal for offshore wind power with Shell and Eneco, owners of the Crosswind & Ecowende joint ventures.
The web giant signed power purchase agreements to support 478 megawatts of carbon-free energy capacity with two new-to-the-grid offshore wind farms: HKN V and HKW VI.
“Together with the existing power purchase agreements we have previously signed in The Netherlands, these projects will help our Dutch data centers and offices reach more than 90% carbon-free energy in 2024,” said Google in its release.
These agreements support the development of these subsidy-free offshore wind farms, which are expected to contribute to about six percent of the country’s annual electricity consumption and will foster technology innovation and ecological development.
“Windmills and The Netherlands go hand in hand. They were used for centuries to drain lakes and marshes that affected the land. Now, they play an important role in the Dutch transition from fossil fuels to carbon-free energy resources,” Google added.
The agreement forms part of 700MW of green power deals announced by Google that also include the largest offshore wind projects to date in The Netherlands.
As a result, over the next couple of years, Google’s operations are projected to reach more than 90% carbon-free energy in The Netherlands, Italy and Poland, and close to 85% in Belgium.
