Liberty announced on Wednesday a new power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with Meta, formerly known as Facebook. The energy company will provide Meta with wind energy generated from the new 112-MW Deerfield II wind project in the Great Lakes State.
The Deerfield II wind project will be developed, engineered, built, owned, and operated by Liberty, who will invest around US$ 200 million in the project. Construction has already begun in April 2022 and is scheduled to commission in 2023.
The long-term agreement calls for Meta to acquire 100% of the energy from the site.
The Deerfield II wind project is expected to generate approximately US$2 million per year in property tax revenue and create 200 temporary and permanent jobs for workers.
“Wind and solar energy investments are critical streams within our growth program, and we’re very pleased to be able to expand upon our existing partnership with Meta,” said Jeff Norman, chief development officer for Algonquin, Liberty’s parent company.
Meta does not have any operation site in Michigan, according to the media report. Its nearest data centers to Michigan are in DeKalb, Illinois, and New Albany, Ohio, both of which are more than 300 miles distant.
Meta has ramped up its efforts to purchase renewable energy as it expands the footprint in recent years. According to a list released in February by the Clean Energy Buyers Association, the tech giant was the world’s second largest corporate buyer of renewables in 2021, acquiring 1.82 GW of green energy, right after Amazon. Earlier in April, Meta entered into a 200 MW wind PPA with Canadian power producer TransAlta.
