Avangrid and Portland General Electric (PGE), have announced the signing of a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the development of Tower Solar, a 120 MWac under-construction solar project in Morrow County, Oregon, in collaboration with QTS and Meta. This utility-scale solar facility will deliver clean energy to PGE’s Green Future Impact (GFI) program, helping large commercial and industrial customers like QTS and Meta achieve their sustainability and carbon reduction goals.
The project will power a QTS-developed data center campus supporting Meta’s regional operations, helping Meta reach its sustainability and 100 per cent renewable energy goals. Situated on 900 acres of industrial land near Boardman Airport, Tower Solar is scheduled to be completed in 2026 and expected to create over 200 regional jobs and generate $20 million in property taxes and PILOTs (payment in lieu of taxes).
In June 2024, Avangrid signed a PPA with CPS Energy, increasing its power offtake from the Peñascal I wind farm in Texas from 77 MW to 161 MW, extending and expanding a previous 15-year agreement between the two companies. Furthermore, CPS Energy’s power offtake has more than doubled, increasing from 77 MW to 161 MW. CPS Energy will now receive nearly 80 per cent of the power generated by the wind farm.
REGlobal’s Views: Various large C&I consumers especially in the IT space have been focusing on reaching100% renewable energy for their operations and reaching net zero emissions. Renewables are cleaner and more affordable when compared to conventional fuels, and this is driving the increase in the corporate offtake of clean energy across the globe.
