Google will buy power from Virginia’s first onshore wind farm

Charlottesville, Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy has signed a power purchase agreement with Google for power that will be generated by its Rocky Forge wind farm.

Financial terms were undisclosed.

Apex began developing Rocky Forge in 2015 with plans for 25 550-foot tall wind turbines in Botetourt County, Virginia, near Roanoke. When it comes online in 2026, it will generate 79 megawatts of electricity.

The purchase agreement with Google has the search engine giant buying all power produced for its data centers in Virginia.

It is the second power agreement for Apex with Google. It has a similar partnership for a 189-megawatt wind farm in North Carolina.

Apex said the project has created 250 construction jobs and will contribute $30 million in state and local tax revenue over the life of the facility.

The turbines are being constructed on North Mountain, an area between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Mountains.

Amazon has set a goal to achieve net-zero emissions and 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030, matching its electricity needs with clean energy.

“As we continue to progress towards our goal to operate every Google campus on clean electricity every hour of every day by 2030, we are always looking for opportunities to accelerate the delivery of new clean power to the grid,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s head of data center energy.

“The Rocky Forge wind project builds on our strong collaboration with Apex Clean Energy to both support decarbonizing our operations in Virginia and the broader PJM grid system.”