Google has signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Shell and with Eneco, owners of the Crosswind and Ecowende joint ventures, for 478 MW of carbon-free energy from two Dutch offshore wind farms - Hollandse Kust Noord and Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI.
The agreements support the development of these subsidy-free offshore wind farms, which are expected to contribute to about 6% of the Dutch annual electricity consumption and will foster technology innovation and ecological development.
“As a result, over the next couple of years, our operations are projected to reach more than 90% carbon-free energy in The Netherlands, Italy and Poland, and close to 85% in Belgium. This is a significant step towards our aim to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy in all data centers and campuses in Europe,” Google said in a statement.
Crosswind’s Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm started operating in the Dutch North Sea in December 2023.
It will add 759 MW of renewable energy to the Dutch electricity grid after final commissioning, and will also help the Netherlands achieve its target of more than 4.5 GW of offshore wind by the end of 2023.
Ecowende’s Hollandse Kust (west) lot VI offshore wind project, with the total capacity of 760 MW, is currently under construction 53 kilometers off the Dutch coast, near Ijmuiden.