Equinix Australia signs maiden Asia-Pacific renewable energy deal

Equinix Australia has entered into a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with TagEnergy, involving the acquisition of 151 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. The energy provision is anticipated to become operational at the Golden Plains Wind Farm - East project in Victoria by 2029. The deal marks Equinix's inaugural long-term renewable energy accord in the Asia-Pacific region.

Equinix is set to supply the grid with enough energy to power its 17 International Business Exchange (IBX) data centres sited across Australia once the PPA is operational. These locations include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, and Perth. This initiative falls in line with the company's global goal of increasing its renewable energy coverage.

Guy Danskine, Managing Director, Australia, Equinix commented, "This first PPA in Asia-Pacific is a huge milestone for Equinix. It underscores our longstanding commitment to actively and meaningfully achieve Equinix's global sustainability targets to drive positive change and foster a more sustainable future for data centres."

The Golden Plains Wind Farm, based in Golden Plains Shire approximately 60 km northwest of Geelong, is being hailed as a major development for the state of Victoria, and upon completion will become Australia's largest wind farm. The 3-billion-dollar construction, owned by TagEnergy (85%) and Ingka Investments (15%), features 215 turbines with a capacity of roughly 6.2 MW each. It began in the first quarter of 2023.

When both stages of the 1,330 MW project are brought to fruition, the Golden Plains Wind Farm will have the capacity to generate over 4,000 GWh of green energy annually, enough to power every residence in regional Victoria - in excess of 765,000 homes.

Andrew Riggs, TagEnergy Managing Partner, Australia, stated, "TagEnergy welcomes the signing of this significant PPA with Equinix for 20% of the clean energy generated by Golden Plains Wind Farm – East. We look forward to delivering clean energy to support Equinix to achieve its renewables targets as we work to accelerate the energy transition."

Equinix has been committed to the goal of 100% renewables coverage across its global operations since 2015, and by 2022, the company reached 96% coverage across the globe. Equinix's strategy for increasing its portfolio involves evolving power procurement to stress investments that add new renewable resources to the grids where it operates. The company is also considering on-site solar opportunities, on-site generation from fuel cells, and other low-carbon technologies that complement its global strategy.

Diraj Bamola, Senior Vice President, Global Design & Construction for Equinix, responsible for execution of Equinix's global Renewable Energy Strategy, pointed out that Equinix had executed 21 PPAs, contributing more than one gigawatt of renewable energy across the US, Australia, France, Finland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden once projects are operational through to 2029."