Google Signs Its Largest Offshore Wind PPAs to Date

Business & Finance

February 1, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

Google has signed corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs) with Shell and Eneco for 478 MW of energy capacity at two offshore wind farms the partners jointly own in the Netherlands: Hollandse Kust Noord and Hollandse Kust West VI.

Together with the existing power purchase agreements Google previously signed in the Netherlands, the two offshore wind farms will help the company’s Dutch data centres and offices reach more than 90 per cent carbon-free energy in 2024, Google states.

The technology giant says that this is its “largest offshore wind project ever”.

Over the past few years, Google has signed CPPAs with several offshore wind farm owners, including a contract for 100 MW at the Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland, in which Amazon has also just secured 473 MW to power its UK operations.

Google also has a CPPA with Ørsted under which the company will offtake 50 MW of the 900 MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm in the German North Sea, as well as a power purchase agreement with Engie for the Belgian Norther offshore wind farm.

Shell and Eneco own the Hollandse Kust Noord and Hollandse Kust West VI offshore wind farms in the Netherlands through their CrossWind and Ecowende joint ventures.

The Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm went into operation on 20 December 2023, taking the country’s operational offshore wind capacity to 4.7 GW, beyond the Dutch target for 2023.

The 759 MW Hollandse Kust Noord is located 18.5 kilometres off the coast of Egmond aan Zee and comprises 69 Siemens Gamesa SG 11.0-200 DD wind turbines.

Through the Ecowende joint venture, Shell and Eneco are building the 760 MW Hollandse Kust West VI offshore wind farm 53 kilometres off the coast of IJmuiden. The project will comprise 54 Vestas 15 MW wind turbines and is said to be the first wind farm in the world that will be in harmony with nature.