Engie North America, a US-based subsidiary of the France-based Engie Group, announced that it will partner with Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, to supply 260 MW of solar energy from the Sypert Branch solar project. Sypert Branch is in Milam County, Texas. It is located 70 miles northeast of Austin and only 10 miles from Meta’s data center in Temple. The solar project will sell 100% of its output to Meta. The commercial operation date for the project is anticipated to be late 2025. Engie will develop, construct, and maintain it.
As Chief Renewables Officer at Engie North America, Dave Carroll said that he also enjoyed the opportunity to work in partnership, especially since this company was already a leader for developing renewable energy. He said, “We are pleased to be collaborating with Meta by powering 100% of the facility with renewable energy from operations that will support the expansion and help them towards a net-zero future commitment. Carroll highlighted Engie’s long history of performance with renewables, noting, however, that this partnership specifically reinforces the company’s seat position at the very forefront of the energy transition. For him, this acknowledgment by a company like Meta means the ability of Engie to fulfill the needs of the customers through secure large-scale renewable projects.
Meta is among the largest corporate customers of renewable energy in the world, and this new agreement will enhance the sustainability project for the company. The company has committed to achieving net-zero emissions through its value chain by 2030 and has already achieved the target of using 100% renewable energy in its operations since 2020. For several years, Meta has reported renewable energy procurements over 12 GW and is on track to add nearly 9.8 GW of renewable capacity to U.S. grids through supported projects by 2025.
Meta’s Head of Clean Energy, Urvi Parekh, confirmed that this commitment to sustainability will involve a partnership with reliable renewable energy suppliers such as Engie. “We are pleased to partner with ENGIE to make the transition to clean energy a reality through projects such as Sypert Branch,” said Parekh. She pointed out that such and other strategic relationships have been the enablers of net-zero emissions since 2020 as they have allowed Meta to buy and operate projects that supply all of its energy.
These agreements between Engie and Meta are just one of a growing number of investments massive corporations are making in the renewable energy sector as more and more companies seek out ways to combat climate change and meet sustainability goals. Such collaborations bring the world even closer to a clean energy future, significantly reducing carbon footprint and bolstering the worldwide renewable energy infrastructure.