Amazon to build new 105MW solar farm in NSW – its second in Australia

Online retailing giant Amazon has announced plans to develop its second major renewable energy project in Australia, a 105MW solar farm in New South Wales.

The new Australian solar farm was announced alongside four others across China and the US, as part of the massive company’s commitment to source 80 per cent of its energy from renewables by 2024, 100 per cent by 2030, and net zero carbon by 2050.

The new 615MW round of projects marks the company’s first renewable energy foray into China – a 100MW solar farm – and three further solar farms in the US, including two in Ohio (200MW and 80MWW) and one in Virginia (130MW).

Amazon’s first Australian project was announced in March this year, off the back of a deal with Canadian Solar to buy the output of its 146MW Gunnedah solar farm in New South Wales.

Both projects follow Amazon’s unsuccessful bid, late last year, to have its greenhouse gas emissions data withheld from public release, after arguing such data could reveal trade secrets.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator refused the request, revealing that Amazon Corporate Services, the arm of the global retail giant that primarily provides data hosting services, had emissions of 55,739 tonnes in the 2017-18 financial year.

On a more positive note, Amazon has announced 31 utility-scale wind and solar renewable energy projects and 60 solar rooftops on fulfillment centers and sort centres around the globe.

Together, the company says these projects amount to more than 2,900MW of capacity will deliver more than 7.6 million MWh of renewable energy a year, enough to power 680,000 U.S. homes.

The five new projects contribute a total of 615MW of installed capacity, or around 1.2 million MWh of additional renewables to the company’s retail operations network and data centers.

“As a signatory to The Climate Pledge, we’re committed to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early and reaching net zero carbon across Amazon by 2040,” said Kara Hurst, Vice President of Sustainability, Amazon.

“These five new renewable energy projects are a critical part of our roadmap to reach this goal. In fact, we believe it is possible to reach 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of the goals we announced last fall. While this will be challenging, we have a credible plan to get there.”

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