Ocean Winds’ Moray West Wind Farm Powers Amazon’s Renewable Energy Ambitions

Ocean Winds’ Moray West Wind Farm Powers Amazon’s Renewable Energy Ambitions

(IN BRIEF) Amazon has expanded its commitment to renewable energy by signing a corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) with ENGIE. This agreement increases Amazon’s share of the energy output from the Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland to 473MW, enough to power over 650,000 UK homes annually. The wind farm is under construction and will begin power generation in 2024. Amazon’s goal is to power all its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, ahead of schedule. The company has invested in 39 new renewable energy projects across Europe, making it Europe’s and the UK’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy. ENGIE has also signed multiple deals to expand its renewable energy capacity. Ocean Winds, a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE, is actively involved in these projects, with Moray West as a significant component of its renewable energy portfolio.

(PRESS RELEASE) EDINBURGH, 30-Jan-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — ENGIE SA (EPA: ENGI), a French multinational utility company active in  electricity, natural gas and energy markets, has announced a significant step in Amazon’s renewable energy journey. Amazon has expanded its commitment to green energy by entering into a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) with ENGIE. Under this agreement, Amazon will increase its energy allocation from the upcoming Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland to a total of 473MW once the facility becomes operational later this year. This substantial capacity will effectively power more than 650,000 UK households annually. The Moray West wind farm, situated in northeast Scotland’s Moray Firth region, is currently in the construction phase, with power generation expected to commence in 2024. This collaboration is made possible through Ocean Winds, a joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE. It reinforces Amazon’s ambitious goal to transition to 100% renewable energy across all its operations by 2025, surpassing its original target by five years. This strategic move underscores Amazon’s unwavering commitment to sustainability and its substantial investments in renewable energy projects throughout Europe and the UK.

In 2023, Amazon announced 39 new renewable energy projects across Europe, adding over 1GW of clean energy capacity to regional grids. As a result, Amazon has become Europe’s and the UK’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, maintaining this position since 2021. These investments have not only contributed to reducing carbon emissions but have also generated substantial economic benefits for the UK, including £285 million in investments and over £90 million in GDP contribution between 2014 and 2022. Additionally, these initiatives have supported the creation of 600 local jobs in 2022 alone.

Lindsay McQuade, Director of Energy, EMEA, Amazon Web Services (AWS), emphasized the importance of transitioning to carbon-free energy sources to reduce carbon emissions. She said “Transitioning to carbon-free energy sources is one of the most impactful ways to lower carbon emissions, and is part of our Climate Pledge commitment to reach net zero carbon across our operations by 2040. We are on track to meet our ambitious goal of powering our global operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, and in 2022, 90% of electricity consumed by Amazon was attributable to renewable energy sources. Projects like Moray West will play a critical role in decarbonising Amazon’s operations and the UK grid, with this agreement demonstrating Amazon’s commitment to this ambition.”

ENGIE has also been active in expanding its renewable energy capacity, signing 19 groundbreaking deals in 2023 across five countries, covering more than 1GW of clean energy capacity. These developments have bolstered ENGIE’s CPPA portfolio, which now stands at 7.3GW. Paulo Almirante, ENGIE Senior Executive Vice-President Renewables & Energy Management, highlighted Moray West as a reflection of ENGIE’s strategy to accelerate the transition toward a carbon-neutral world through renewable energy investments. Almirante commented “Moray West reflects our strategy to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral world, through investing in renewable generation technologies. Furthermore, the innovative character of this CPPA shows that it is possible to create, together with Amazon, the conditions to achieve the UK objectives of renewables deployment and net zero economy. This deal strengthens ENGIE’s leadership position for CPPAs, through which ENGIE has sold a substantial capacity of renewable electricity generated by its wind and solar assets.”

Bautista Rodriguez, CEO at Ocean Winds, expressed pride in securing the important deal with Amazon, stating “I am proud that the collective efforts of the Moray West and Ocean Winds teams, working closely with colleagues in ENGIE, helped secure this important deal with Amazon, prior to the Financial Close of the project and as part of an innovative and unprecedented route to market for an offshore wind farm. The programme for delivery of the power for Amazon is ambitious but the project and sponsor boards have supported us to keep the project firmly on track.”

This initiative reinforces Ocean Winds’ dedication to local supply chains, with over half of the investment and operating costs benefiting the UK economy. The project also supports various local education and training goals, including transitioning a skilled workforce from the oil and gas sector, apprenticeship and internship programs, and sponsorship of environmental studies-focused PhD candidates. The growing operational team in the coastal town of Buckie includes technicians and trainee technicians, ready to assume responsibility for the project’s assets as they come online in 2024 and 2025.

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SOURCE: Engie SA