Amazon locks in additional 476 MW of clean power from Iberdrola

SPANISH energy giant Iberdrola has agreed to supply Amazon with an additional 476 MW of clean power for its global operations, boosting their contracted supply to more than 66,000 GWh.

Amazon’s new power purchase agreements (PPAs) include taking 219 MW of power from Iberdrola’s Tâmega Wind Complex in Portugal, which is due to begin construction this year and has the capacity to power 128,000 homes.

Additional PPAs in Spain include 212 MW of solar energy from the Ciudad Rodrigo solar PV plant in the west of the country, and 45 MW of wind power from the Valdemoro windfarm in the north.

Aiming to reach net zero emissions across its operations by 2040, Amazon is the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, according to research organisation BloombergNEF. 

Largest clean power purchaser

Amazon has purchased clean power from more than 600 renewable projects across 27 countries and has helped generate more than US$12bn in estimated economic investment globally from 2014 to 2022.

The energy Amazon uses will be put into the manufacturing and transportation parts of its business, including the power needed for its electronic devices.

The company said that from 2022 it had bought enough renewable energy capacity to power the expected electricity use of all active Amazon devices, including the Echo, Fire TV, and Ring.

Iberdrola has been in partnership with Amazon since 2022 and has secured several PPAs, including four projects in the US, two in Germany, and two in the UK.

Renewables for all

In parallel to the PPAs, Iberdrola says it is using Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) High Performance Computing (HPC) to improve the weather forecasting for its 400 windfarms. The company is also using the AI capabilities of AWS to enhance the grid connection process for its renewable energy projects and windfarm designs.

Iberdrola has several wind projects online across the globe, include the East Anglia Hub in the UK, its largest offshore wind project in the world, with a total installed capacity of 2,900 MW.

With a recorded 44,148 MW of operational renewables by the end of 2024, the company is using its power for a host of global applications.

Recently, the company partnered with the Spanish movie exhibition company Cinesa to supply clean power to all 35 of its cinemas. This collaboration will enable the venues to operate using 100% renewable electricity, preventing the emission of approximately 10,089 t of CO2 over the next three years.