Google has signed a historic $3 billion deal with Brookfield Asset Management to procure up to 3 gigawatts of hydroelectric power in the US. This agreement is the largest of its kind.
Initially, a 20-year purchase guarantee was given for energy to be supplied from two hydroelectric power plants in Pennsylvania.
Google will also invest $25 billion in data centers in Pennsylvania and surrounding states over the next two years.With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies, the technology sector is driving energy consumption to record levels. This is increasing the demand for clean energy sources. Google had previously made pioneering agreements for geothermal and advanced nuclear energy in line with its carbon neutrality goals.
The company is continuing its work with PJM, the largest electric grid operator in the US, to rapidly improve energy infrastructure using artificial intelligence.
Google’s data center energy director, Amanda Peterson Corio, said, “This collaboration with Brookfield is a major step toward clean energy security in the PJM region where we operate.”Under the agreement, hydroelectric power plants will be modernized and re-licensed. Google plans to expand this partnership to the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions in the future.
