New 100% renewable energy PPA for Meta’s Iowa data centre

Apex Clean Energy’s Great Pathfinder 225MW wind project in central Iowa is to supply its full capacity to Meta, the new persona of Facebook.

The power purchase agreement is Meta’s second clean PPA in Iowa and is aimed to support the company’s operations in the region, including its Altoona data centre campus which is set for major expansion.

Great Pathfinder Wind is under development in Boone and Hamilton Counties and is expected to come into commercial operation later this year.

“Leveraging Iowa’s tremendous wind resources will accelerate the deployment of clean energy, create local jobs, and generate significant local and state economic investment,” says Mark Goodwin, Apex Clean Energy president and CEO.

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The expansion planned for the Altoona campus with the addition of two data centres, which was announced in December 2021, is set to transform it into Meta’s largest, with a capacity of 500,000m2 of data centre space, with the buildout expected to run to 2025.

“Iowa’s ability to host high-quality wind projects, while providing a welcoming business environment, has made it a great home for our data centre,” comments Urvi Parekh, director of renewable energy at Meta.

Meta claims reaching net-zero emissions and 100% renewable energy supply for its operations globally in 2020 and the Great Pathfinder wind project is set to ensure this continues for the Altoona operations at least.

The PPA is Apex’s fifth transaction with Meta, with the previous most recent with the 197MW Jayhawk Wind operation in Kansas.

A 2021 study from the research company RTI International is quoted by Meta to have found that the company’s renewable energy procurement in the US had resulted in 55 new solar and wind projects across 18 states adding 5.8GW of clean electricity to the national grid.

Globally Meta has 18 data centres and the number and their extent can be expected to increase as the company continues on its plan to build out a ‘metaverse’ based on virtual spaces and interactions.