RPlus Energies has signed a long-term power purchase agreement with investor-owned utility Idaho Power to install the 200 MW Pleasant Valley Solar Project in Ada County, Idaho.
Social media company Meta, which is constantly striving to power all its data centers with renewable energy, has moved to the US state of Idaho. The operator of Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook apps has turned to a Salt Lake City-based project developer to build Idaho’s largest energy-scale solar project to support its data operations in Boise at 200 MW.
Project developer rPlus Energies has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with investor-owned utility Idaho Power to install the 200 MW Pleasant Valley Solar project in Ada County, Idaho. When completed, the project will be the largest solar power plant in the power plant’s service area. Construction is expected to begin later this year.
“Idaho has an abundance of sunshine – and we at rPlus Energies are proud to help the state achieve a common-sense approach to energy independence and take full advantage of this abundant energy source,” said Luigi Resta, president and CEO of rPlus Energies. .
The developer won the Pleasant Valley Solar PPA through a negotiation process with Meta and Idaho Power. The PPA was made possible by an energy service agreement, which allows Meta to access renewable energy sources to support local operations, while transferring electricity to utility companies. Pleasant Valley supplies clean electricity to Idaho’s power grid and contributes to Meta’s goal of running 100% of its operations on clean energy.
The developer has engaged Sundt Renewables to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the Pleasant Valley project. The contractor has experience in the area and has agreed to work with rPlus Energies on 280 MW of utility-scale solar projects in neighboring Utah.
“Meta is committed to minimizing our environmental footprint in the communities where we live and work, and central to this goal is the creation, construction and operation of energy-efficient data centers supported by renewable energy,” says Urvi Parekh, Meta’s director of renewable energy. . “One of the key factors in choosing Idaho for our new data center in 2022 was the availability of renewable energy, and Meta is proud to partner with Idaho Power and rPlus Energies to help bring even more renewable energy to the Treasure Valley grid.”
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