RWE Renewables has partnered with Facebook and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to realize a 150MW solar facility in Shelby County, Tennessee, in the US.
Facebook will use 110MW of the solar energy to support their data centre operations in Gallatin, Tennessee, and the broader Tennessee Valley.
Facebook’s head of renewable energy Urvi Parekh said: “Facebook’s mission is to connect the world, and the connections we made with TVA and RWE will ensure our operations in the Tennessee Valley are supported with new solar energy.
“This solar project, which is our third in Tennessee, will help us continue our commitment of 100% renewable energy for our global operations, while also bringing new investment and jobs to the local community.”
RWE Renewables chief executive Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath said: “RWE is a global renewable energy leader, and together with partners we forge ahead the further expansion of renewables.
“We are excited to cooperate with Facebook and TVA to develop one of the world’s most advanced solar farms.
“Once in operation, the clean energy generated from this site will fuel jobs locally and across the state and help Facebook achieve its carbon reduction goals.”
The plant is expected to start operations in late 2023 with start of construction in mid-2022.
Through a long-term power purchase agreement with TVA, RWE will own and operate the plant.
The financial investment decision for this plant is expected to be made once the permitting approval process will be completed.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven south-eastern states.
The solar project is part of TVA’s Green Invest program to expand renewable generation capacity in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Since 2018, Green Invest has attracted nearly $2.7bn (€2.2bn) in solar investment and procured over 2100MW of solar on behalf of its customers.