Equinix has signed its first renewable energy power purchase agreement (PPA) in Singapore with Sembcorp Industries, an energy and urban solutions provider, which will see the offtake from a 75 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar energy project. This strategic move is in line with the Singapore Green Plan 2030 to have all business sectors supported by cleaner energy sources, including data centers.
As part of its long-term renewable energy goals, Equinix prioritizes PPAs when feasible, supporting the addition of new clean energy to grids where it operates. In what is one of the largest data center renewable energy PPAs in Singapore, this long-term PPA, sourced from the Housing Development Board (HDB) SolarNova 7 program, will supply renewable energy from solar panels installed across 1,290 HDB blocks and 99 government sites. This is expected to contribute to Equinix’s renewable energy coverage across its data center portfolio in Singapore starting from January 1, 2027.
With the addition of this new PPA in Singapore, Equinix has now executed a total of 22 PPAs globally. These agreements are expected to contribute over 3,000,000 megawatt hours (MWhs) of renewable energy annually to local grids across the US, Australia, France, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Singapore once operational.
Raouf Abdel, Executive Vice President, Global Operations, Equinix, said, “Equinix made our commitment to 100% clean and renewable energy in 2015 and since then, we have been continuously exploring new opportunities to scale and improve the quality of those resources. Our recent PPA agreements in Singapore and Australia are significant steps toward our 2030 goal of 100% clean and renewable coverage globally.”
Apart from renewable energy, Equinix actively explores opportunities to drive energy efficiency for its data centers. Most recently, Equinix collaborated with the Centre for Energy Research & Technology (CERT) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), to explore the viability of hydrogen for sustainable power generation. The study provides data center operators with additional insights they need to help make an informed decision when implementing alternate fuel supply systems in data centers.
Yee May Leong, Managing Director, Singapore, Equinix, said, “I’m thrilled to witness yet another green milestone that Equinix has achieved in Singapore to support the energy reset pillar of the Singapore Green Plan 2030. By harnessing the potential of renewable energy sources locally, Equinix will be able to meet AI requirements sustainably and help businesses keep up with the rapid pace of digital innovations to support the Singapore digital economy.”
Vickrem Vijayan, Head of Energy Commercial, Singapore, Sembcorp, said, “We are pleased to support Equinix with its first renewable energy PPA in Singapore, as it transitions towards its 2030 sustainability goals. Our unique suite of competitive and green energy solutions will underpin Equinix’s sustainability efforts and environmental stewardship within its data centers, which are a fast-growing cornerstone of the digital economy.”
Highlights/Key Facts
- Renewable Energy PPAs are contracts (which can be long-term) between electricity buyers and energy generators like wind and solar farms. These agreements are a high-impact way for data centers to procure renewables and support the addition of new renewable energy sources to local markets.
- In 2015, Equinix was the first in the data center industry to set a 100% clean and renewable energy coverage goal by 2030. In 2021, it further committed to becoming climate neutral, aligning to an approved near-term science-based target for emissions reductions across its global operations and supply chain by 2030.
- To date, Equinix has achieved 96% renewables coverage across its global operations. In Asia-Pacific, Equinix reached 100% renewables coverage across its operations in China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and Singapore.
- Equinix started its PPA program in 2015 with two wind PPAs in Texas and Oklahoma for 225 megawatts (MW). In late 2021 and early 2022, Equinix signed three PPAs in Finland for a total of 144 MW of new-build wind capacity projects, and in 2023, it added 15 new wind and solar PPAs in Europe, including Sweden, Spain, Portugal and France, in excess of 500 MW. Earlier this year, Equinix signed a PPA in Australia with global clean energy enterprise, TagEnergy to support 151 MW of wind power being added to the grid.
- Equinix’s data centers in Singapore are certified under one or more green building standards including the BCA-IMDA Green Mark for Data Centers Platinum Award.
