Amazon PPA Funds Avangrid's 57-MW Oregon Trail Solar Farm

Online retailing and data cloud giant Amazon is investing in 57 MW of utility-scale solar photovoltaic capacity being built near the company’s data centers in Oregon.

The power purchase agreement with developer Avangrid, the North American unit of Spain’s global energy firm Iberdrola Group, will help finance the Oregon Trail Solar project in Gilliam County, Oregon. Avangrid hopes to complete Oregon Trail Solar and put it into operation by 2027.

The solar farm will include more than 100,000 solar panels and generate electricity equivalent to energy use by about 10,000 homes. Renewable energy PPAs don’t necessarily mean that the carbon-free power goes directly to the corporate customer, but the deal does help fund projects and interconnect them to help decarbonize the main grid.

"This agreement reflects Amazon and Avangrid’s commitment to delivering reliable energy solutions that will help meet America’s growing energy needs and support the growth of critical infrastructure," said Jose Antonio Miranda, Avangrid CEO, in a statement. "Oregon Trail Solar builds on our strong presence in Oregon and deep partnership with Amazon, and we’re proud to help power the future with projects that bring lasting economic benefits to local communities, bolster our nation’s energy independence, and maximize energy production."

Avangrid and Amazon have agreements to generate power from several renewable energy projects in Illinois, Ohio and North Carolina as well.

Private sector investment in clean energy projects last year totaled close to $115 billion, according to Bloomberg NEF and Business Council for Sustainable Energy.

Amazon alone committed to more than 500 solar and wind energy projects in more than 20 countries and 20 U.S. states. The company also is exploring future small modular nuclear reactors to add to carbon-free generation for data center, cloud-based and artificial intelligence computing demand.