Equinix & Schneider Electric Behind Seven new Wind Farms

Some of the world’s largest digital and energy companies have come together to facilitate a landmark seven new wind farms, making a significant contribution to the deployment of renewable energy.

Equinix and renewable energy developer wpd have signed seven 20-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), with the assistance of Schneider Electric. As a result of this, seven wind farms will be built across France — four in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, two in Hauts-de-France and one in Pays de la Loire — providing more than 100MW in capacity and more than 300GWh per year of green energy output in the country.  

The contracts will come into force in 2025 at latest, meaning there will be support for France’s renewable energy up to 2045.

“We are proud to sign one of the biggest  PPAs in French history, marking a significant milestone in France and underscoring Equinix's global dedication to investing in renewable energy solutions,” said Régis Castagné, Managing Director at Equinix France. “Through aligning with France's own renewable energy production goals, we're delighted to be positively and proactively contributing to the nation's decarbonisation and renewable investments.”

A big step for France’s decarbonisation efforts

wpd says this deal marks a huge step in its renewables work, augmenting its position as a major player in the French and European PPA market. 

And it doesn’t stop there. Long-term financial support is pretty much guaranteed off the back of this as further renewable energy is deployed in France, allowing for the continued contributions to decarbonising the grid, working towards the climate neutrality goals of businesses and governments alike.

John Powers, Vice President, Global Cleantech and Renewables at Schneider Electric added: “We’re proud to be helping decarbonise the grid and facilitating an important milestone in the development of renewable energy distribution. Equinix’s long-term commitment demonstrates its belief that the expansion of innovative digital infrastructure must go hand in hand with reducing our impact on the planet.”

Other notable wind projects in France

France’s largest offshore wind farm, Centre Manche 1 project in Normandy, is set to be built by Eoliennes en Mer Manche Normandie (EMMN), a joint company made up of EDF Renewables and Maple Power. The 1GW project, which will see construction go live in 2026/7, will be able to cover electricity consumption of 800,000 households once up and running.

Also off the coast of Normandy is the Fécamp Offshore Wind farm, a 497MW capacity project which covers the consumption of 770,000 locals. 

Over in west France, there are 80 turbines off the coast of Saint-Nazaire, with each turbine boasting a unit capacity of 6MW, totalling 480MW. The site, France’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, has been operational since 2022.

Equinix’s commitment to renewable energy

Equinix’s work here means its total contracted capacity rises to 912MW across the US, France, Finland, Spain, Portugal and Sweden. The company continues to significantly ramp up its investment in renewable energy worldwide.

As a Forbes Global 2000 company and, in its own words, the world’s digital infrastructure company, Equinix leverages its position as a connectivity and data centre giant to pave the way to a more sustainable future, setting an example industry-wide.

For example, Equinix was the first in the data centre industry to commit to becoming climate neutral, reducing emissions across its global operations and supply chain by 2030.

It walks the walk as well as talks the talk — as a founding signatory of the EU Climate Neutral Data Centre Operator Pact, Equinix leads advocacy and steers the development of sustainability requirements for the data centre industry across the EU, helping it to become climate neutral by 2030.

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