Equinix commits to wind energy project in Sweden with Neoen

Equinix has announced it has signed a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Neoen in Sweden, that will add 15MW of wind generation capacity to the local grid via Storbrännkullen Wind Farm. 

The contract for the site, located in Ragunda and Sollefteå, will begin in mid-2024.

A catalyst for sustainable power sources in Sweden

Equinix and Neoen have signed four PPAs in the last two years, following three agreements totaling 142MW of new wind capacity in Finland. Equinix was supported on the transaction by Schneider Electric and Holland & Knight.

Sami Holopainen, acting Managing Director for Sweden at Equinix said: “Signing this new PPA with Neoen in Sweden demonstrates Equinix’s focus on long term partnerships with renewable energy companies and reinforces Equinix’s continued commitment to sustainability in Sweden. This contract facilitates the development and operations of a new wind project which will contribute towards Equinix’s renewable goals while also helping further deployment of renewables in Sweden and bring benefits to the local community.”

Equinix was the first in the data centre industry to commit to becoming climate neutral, aligned to an approved short-term science-based target, for emissions reduction across its global operations and supply chain by 2030. It is also a founding signatory of the EU Climate Neutral Data Centre Operator Pact, which is leading advocacy and steering the development of sustainability requirements for the EU data center industry to become climate neutral by 2030.

Christophe Desplats-Redier, Regional Director of Neoen in Europe, added: “We are thrilled to be contributing to Sweden’s energy independence and carbon neutrality by adding new renewable plants. With our growing local team, we will further accelerate our development in this country.”

Who is Neoen?

Founded in 2008, Neoen is one of France's leading independent producers of renewable energy. Working exclusively in renewables, it develops, finances, builds and operates facilities such as solar plants, wind farms and storage facilities, propelled by the expertise of its workforce, in 17 countries across four continents.

Key Neoen projects include its flagship operations in Cestas, which at 300 MWp is France’s most powerful solar farm, as well as Finland’s largest wind farm at 404 MW in Mutkalampi, and one of the world’s most competitive solar plants in Mexico called El Llano, which operates at 375 MWp. It also owns and runs two of the world’s most powerful large-scale storage plants, both of which located in Australia: Hornsdale Power Reserve and the Victorian Big Battery. 

The company, spearheaded by Chairman and CEO, Xavier Barbaro, has 7.2GW in operation and under construction across its covered geographies. By 2025, the brand aspires for this figure to skyrocket to 10GW.

Equinix’s commitment to renewable energy

Among its many environmental commitments, the American multinational company — the largest global data centre and colocation provider for enterprise network and cloud computing in the world and one of the largest digital infrastructure companies — is committed to scaling renewable energy purchasing, with the aim of achieving 100% clean and renewable across its global portfolio by 2030.

One of the overarching theme that plays in to Equinix’s environmental strategy is ensuring its targets are driven by the urgency of climate change.

From reducing Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 50% from a 2019 baseline by 2030 and becoming climate neutral across global operations by 2030 to allocating funds to deliver sustainable outcomes across the business and leveraging green finance to propel its investments in greening our footprint, it is clear that this is an endeavour taken seriously. This is backed up by cold hard facts, with Equinix reporting a 23% reduction

in operational emissions across Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions from its 2019 baseline. 

************************************************

Sustainability LIVE Net Zero will be hosted live from the QEII Centre, London on the 6th and 7th of March, and streamed globally via our virtual event platform Brella. Sustainability LIVE Net Zero will delve deeper into the strategies, innovations, and collaborative efforts propelling us toward a net-zero future. The conference and exhibition gives the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers and actively contribute to crafting a sustainable future.

Following Sustainability LIVE Net Zero, viewers can also sign up for Sustainability LIVE Dubai, Singapore and New York.

Sign up to the The Global Sustainability & ESG Awards 2024, coming to London on the 10th September 2024.

************************************************

BizClik is a global provider of B2B digital media platforms that cover Executive Communities for CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, Sustainability Leaders, Procurement & Supply Chain Leaders, Technology & AI Leaders, Cyber Leaders, FinTech & InsurTech Leaders as well as covering industries such as Manufacturing, Mining, Energy, EV, Construction, Healthcare + Food & Drink.

BizClik – based in London, Dubai, and New York – offers services such as Content Creation, Advertising & Sponsorship Solutions, Webinars & Events.