Amazon.com has signed up to procure clean energy from 2 GW of utility scale solar and wind energy projects in the US and Europe, taking its total committed renewable electricity production capacity to over 12 GW in the form of 274 projects, generating 33,700 GWh when all of this capacity is online.
The 274 project portfolio will enable the company to bring down its carbon emissions by over 13.7 million metric ton (MT) annually.
In the latest round of commitments, the world's leading e-commerce retailer will source power from 18 new projects in the US, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
The new lot includes over 1 GW of utility scale projects in the US, including its maiden projects in Arizona and Georgia and additional in Ohio, Texas and Virginia. In Arizona, its 2nd solar project is a 300 MW facility with 150 MW battery energy storage. Amazon counts its commitments to have enabled more than 6 GW of renewable energy in the US as 62 projects.
Apart from investing in new wind energy projects with 158 MW capacity in Finland, the company has added an additional 40 MW solar in Italy, while in Spain its new solar projects together add more than 630 MW to the grid. With these projects, Amazon's European renewable energy commitments for 34 projects add up to over 3.5 GW making it the 'largest procurer of renewable energy in Europe'.
Altogether, all these new projects take the company's 2021 renewable energy commitments to 5.6 GW, representing 40% increase from 4 GW it procured in 2020.
These efforts by the company are aimed at powering all its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, 5 years ahead of the original target of 2030. This includes making all its shipments net-zero carbon eventually, with an interim target of 50% net carbon by 2030.
"Significant investments in renewable energy globally are an important step in delivering on The Climate Pledge, our commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement," said Amazon's Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability, Kara Hurst. "Renewable energy projects also bring new investment, green jobs, and advance the decarbonization of the electricity systems in communities around the world."
In June 2021, the company had expanded its global renewables portfolio to 10 GW with 14 new utility scale projects in the US, Spain, Finland and Canada (see Amazon's Renewable Energy Portfolio Swells To 10 GW).