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Distributed Energy Resources

Grand River Dam Authority Partners With Google on Solar Projects

Leeward Renewable Energy on Jan. 15 announced over 700-megawatt alternating current of renewable energy projects in Oklahoma that are supported in part by long-term power purchase agreements with Google.

“These projects are strategically sited to support Google’s data center operations and leadership in artificial intelligence,” Leeward Renewable Energy said.

“They will bolster the reliability of Oklahoma’s electric grid by adding renewable capacity that improves stability and diversifies the energy mix, while also supporting national energy independence,” it said.

Construction has begun on the 372-MWac Mayes County Solar Portfolio, located just within one mile from Google’s data center in Pryor, Oklahoma.

Together with the Twelvemile Solar Project 1 & 2 (152.5 MWac) and the Twelvemile 3 Solar Project (200 MWac), located in Southern Oklahoma, these projects total 724 MWac of solar capacity in Oklahoma.

The energy generated by the solar portfolio is delivered under firm transmission service to the Grand River Dam Authority.

GRDA plans to utilize the clean energy produced by the projects to support operations at Google’s data center.

“We are seeing a dramatic increase in the demand for reliable electricity throughout the country. Google’s support for these solar projects in Oklahoma is a testament to their commitment to help meet the state’s growing energy needs with secure, sustainable solutions.” said John Wiscaver, Executive Vice President at GRDA. “Google is a valuable partner to GRDA, and we look forward to helping them meet their future power needs while continuing to foster economic growth in the GRDA communities of Northeast Oklahoma.”

The Mayes County Solar Portfolio consists of three solar projects: Salt Branch Solar (145 MWac), Huckleberry Solar (125 MWac), and Mayes Solar (102 MWac).

The power purchase agreements were facilitated through LEAP™ (LevelTen Energy’s Accelerated Process), which was co-developed by Google and LevelTen Energy to make sourcing and executing clean energy PPAs more efficient.

“By partnering with Grand River Dam Authority and LRE, Google is furthering its ambition to power our facilities, including those in Oklahoma, with carbon-free energy around the clock by 2030,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Global Head of Data Center Energy, Google. “These power purchase agreements demonstrate how our scalable procurement approach is transforming the acquisition of clean energy and accelerating the development of carbon-free energy sources.“