U.S. tech giant Amazon will power operations in Greece with three new utility-scale wind farms that also will provide electricity for the grid in three parts of the country. Company officials in November announced Amazon had signed four power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the three projects, as part of AWS (Amazon Web Services) Day in Athens. Amazon officials said the investment in the wind farms is the company’s largest in Greece to date. Amazon, like many technology companies, has a goal to power its operations with carbon-free energy. The company said the wind farms will enable that goal in Greece, and also support Greece’s goal of utilizing more renewable energy resources.
1. The 44.4-MW Vermio Wind Farm, located across Central and Western Macedonia, features two installations—Vermio North and Vermio South. Once operational, the project will contribute to Greece’s renewable energy transition and power Amazon’s operations in the country. Courtesy: Amazon
Two of the PPAs are for the 44.4-MW Vermio wind farm, which features two installations—Vermio North and Vermio South—that span the regions of Central and Western Macedonia. The other PPAs are aligned with the 29.5-MW Koukouras and 35.4-MW Mesokorfi wind farms, located in the Peloponnese region. The wind farms are under construction and are expected to enter commercial operation in 2026 (Figure 1). Amazon has signed several PPAs for wind energy. In March 2024, the company signed a PPA with Iberdrola to offtake 159 MW from the East Anglia Three offshore wind farm in the North Sea. That agreement followed a PPA for energy from Iberdrola’s 98.4-MW Juniper IIA wind farm in Oregon. Amazon touted the job creation and economic benefits of the wind farms in Greece for their local communities. Officials said more than 100 construction jobs had been created for the Vermio project, with as many as 300 jobs expected during peak construction, according to Aer Soléir, a Dublin-based developer and owner of sustainability infrastructure across Europe. Aer Soléir developed all three of the Amazon-aligned wind farms. “These three new wind farms in Greece mark an important milestone in our carbon-free energy journey across Europe and adds to the growing number of renewable energy projects we’ve supported in the country,” said Lindsay McQuade, director of Energy for EMEA at AWS. AWS EMEA is Amazon Web Services EMEA SARL, the Amazon-owned entity that sells AWS services in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “With more than 180 wind and solar projects enabled across more than a dozen European countries, we are committed to driving the carbon-free energy transition forward both for our operations and local communities,” said McQuade. Aer Soléir officials said the renewable energy projects in Greece are part of Amazon’s Climate Pledge commitment to achieve net-zero carbon across the company’s operations by 2040. The wind farms also support Greece’s National Energy and Climate Plan, a strategy to generate more than 80% of electricity in the country from renewable energy resources by 2030. Greece as of 2023 received about 48% of its power from fossil fuels, primarily natural gas along with coal and oil, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). IEA data shows renewable energy—solar, wind, and hydro—accounts for just more than 50% of generation. Amazon officials said the wind farms are among more than 500 solar and wind projects the company has supported worldwide. The company also said recently it had achieved its 100% renewable energy goal, years ahead of its original 2030 target. “The collaboration between Aer Soléir, the National Bank of Greece, and Amazon is a ground-breaking commitment to Greece’s renewable energy future, marked by a transformative investment exceeding $1 billion,” said Theodoros Skylakakis, Greece’s minister of Energy & Environment, during AWS Day on Nov. 19. “Amazon has been steadily increasing its investment in technology and infrastructure across Greece, and this announcement today underscores Amazon’s pivotal role in supporting sustainable development in the region and their commitment to driving innovation, economic growth, and digital transformation across Greece.” As part of its collaboration with Amazon, Aer Soléir has allocated more than €1 million ($1.049 million) for community investments such as infrastructure improvements, donations to schools and emergency services, and economic support for local agriculture and farmers. For the Vermio wind farm, Aer Soléir has also allocated an additional €1.8 million ($1.9 million) earmarked for regional reforestation and biodiversity programs. “Quantum is thrilled to support Aer Soléir in their partnership with Amazon in Greece,” said Wil Vanloh, founder and CEO of Quantum Capital Group, a Houston, Texas–based private equity firm serving the energy industry. “Securing the PPAs with Amazon demonstrates Aer Soléir’s success as a renewables development platform and highlights our commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions across Europe.” Quantum invested in Aer Soléir (which means “clear air” in Irish) in 2021. Andy Kinsella, CEO and founding partner of Aer Soléir, said, “Since its inception in 2021, Aer Soléir has been committed to advancing Greece’s energy transition. Supported by our investors Quantum Capital Group and 547 Energy, our project finance partners, the National Bank of Greece and the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, and our local development partner Enteka, we are investing more than €500 million [$524 million] in wind projects across Greece. We are proud that our projects are significantly contributing to the Greek Government’s renewable energy goals and are delighted to be partnering with Amazon.” Amazon officials said that between 2014 and 2022, the company’s investments in renewable energy across Europe “enabled an estimated €2.4 billion [$2.52 billion] for the regional economy and helped contribute more than €723 million [$758 million] to the region’s GDP [gross domestic product].” —Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
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Publish date : 2025-01-02 04:12:00
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