Google & Apex Clean Energy Join Forces for Timbermill Wind Project of 189 MW Capacity

Google to Power Irish Offices & Data Centre with 58 MW Solar from Power Capital

US-based firm, Apex Clean Energy, which delves into the origination, commercialization, construction, and operation of utility-scale wind energy facilities has joined hands with Google for 189 MW worth of capacity for the Timbermill Wind project. The wind project will be established in North Carolina, USA.

The said wind project will aid Google, which is eyeing  carbon-free energy around the clock for operations by the end of the decade. The agreement will support Google’s data centers to achieve clean energy goals on the PJM grid, which coordinates coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Donna Calderon, Energy Senior Lead at Google, said, “Within the decade we have an ambitious goal for every Google data center to operate on clean electricity, every hour of every day. We’re excited to work with Apex for the first time to not only add wind power to one of the most difficult grids to decarbonize, but also bring additional clean energy jobs to North Carolina.”

The Chief Executive Officer at Apex, Ken Young, stated, “Timbermill Wind demonstrates the Apex team’s unmatched ability to execute on our expansive portfolio, even in a region notoriously difficult to advance wind power. Alongside Google, with shared values and an ambitious perspective of its role in the energy transition, we’re pleased to deliver this best-in-class project—one only achievable through this strong collaboration.”

In its wake, the Timbermill Wind project will create close to US$33m in tax revenue for the community. It will also pave the path for over 150 jobs during the phase of construction.

Google has been swiftly accelerating efforts to employ renewable energy to power its data centres. Earlier, EDPR North America Distributed Generation LLC and the global IT conglomerate collaborated to support more than 80 distributed solar PV projects totalling 500 MW in the USA.