Apple will buy power from two MHI Vestas wind turbines in Denmark in the tech giant’s latest foray into the European renewable energy market.
The two V164 8.4MW offshore turbines, among the most powerful in the world in service, will be installed shore-side by the end of the year at the Made test centre operated by European Energy near Esbjerg, joining a pair of models already running at the facility, the developer confirmed to Recharge.
The twin MHI Vestas machines are expected to produce 62GWh annually, with any surplus fed to the Danish grid, according to Apple, which claimed they will be among the largest wind turbines in the world operating on land.
The turbines will help supply Apple’s new data center in Viborg, which will also be served by solar power from a Danish PV plant run by European Energy. Between the two the solar and wind facilities will have the capacity to supply power from 60MW to Viborg, which supports services including Apple Music and Siri.
The Danish power purchase agreement (PPA) is the latest in Europe by the US group, which is among a clutch of tech giants also including the likes of Google, Facebook and Amazon that are driving the procurement of renewable power globally.
European Energy claimed the deal with Apple was helped by the fact that it offers what it calls a ‘True Additionality PPA’ that guarantees renewed investment in clean capacity as a result of each deal.
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, said: “Investments in clean energy deliver breakthrough innovations that bring clean energy and good jobs to businesses and local communities.”
Apple has claimed 100% carbon-neutrality for its own operations since 2018, but earlier this year raised the bar when it said it wants to extend that to its supply chain.
The company said it took another step to that goal this week when German battery group Varta announced it had reached the target.
