EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE) has signed an agreement to supply Google with 200 MW of wind energy generated from the new Glaciers Edge Wind Project in Iowa.
Glaciers Edge, located in Cherokee County in the northwest portion of the state, is expected to create more than 150 jobs during construction. Once the wind farm comes online, anticipated in December 2019, the additional capacity will help Google reach its goal of purchasing enough renewable energy to match its energy consumption for global operations.
“Renewables from projects like Glaciers Edge bring value to our business as we scale and accelerate investment in the communities where we operate,” comments Gary Demasi, Google’s director of global infrastructure. “With solar and wind declining dramatically in cost and propelling significant employment growth, the transition to clean energy is driving unprecedented economic opportunity and doing so faster than we ever anticipated.”
EDF RE’s growing North America portfolio of corporate purchasers also includes Microsoft, Salesforce, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Walmart and Yahoo. Furthermore, Glaciers Edge will bring EDF RE’s portfolio of wind development in Iowa to 1.1 GW.
“The strong U.S. wind market relies in part on America’s corporate sector, and companies like Google, who, through the purchase of wind energy, demonstrate leadership in the drive for a low-carbon economy,” says Dai Owen, director of power marketing for EDF RE. “Their commitment allows Glaciers Edge to proceed, providing an economic boost to the Iowa economy through new construction and operations jobs, expanded tax base, and recurring, long-term income for participating landowners.”
EDF RE and Google forged a relationship in December 2012, when Google made an approximately $200 million equity investment in EDF RE’s Spinning Spur Wind Project, located in Oldham County, Texas. The business partnership progressed in 2016 with a power purchase agreement for the Great Western Wind Project in Oklahoma, which supplies Google with 225 MW of clean energy.
