The world's largest corporate procurer of renewable energy in 2021, e-commerce behemoth Amazon claims to have set a 'new corporate record' for the most renewable energy announced by a single company in a year with 8.3 GW it procured in 2022 through 133 projects in 11 nations.
In addition to 108 clean energy projects it procured last year, it has now added 25 new facilities to the list, all procured in 2022, taking the total number of projects to 133.
Among the newer lot added, 11 projects representing 372 MW are located across Europe, including Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. This capacity comprises 280 MW offshore wind capacity.
Another 918 MW capacity through 4 projects, has been contracted in North America's Arizona, California and Texas including a solar & storage facility in California. It has also added its 1st on-site solar project at the Amazon Air Hub where the company handles its cargo operations.
Offtake has been announced for 10 new projects in India, Indonesia and Japan, including a 200 MW wind-solar hybrid in India, 3 on-site solar plants and a 38 MW utility scale facility in Japan.
Management says these purchases bring it closer to powering its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, as against the original target of 2030.
It counts the company's cumulative renewables portfolio at the end of 2022 to have grown to exceed 20 GW in the form of 401 projects in 22 countries globally, comprising 164 wind and solar farms, and 237 rooftop PV projects on its facilities. All of this capacity when online, will generate 56,881 GWh annually.
"Amazon's clean energy portfolio doesn't just top the corporate charts—it is now among the leading utilities globally, as well," said Head of Sustainability Research at Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BloombergNEF), Kyle Harrison. "The fact that it announced a new annual record of clean energy in a year mired by a global energy crisis, supply chain bottlenecks, and high interest rates speaks to its forward planning and expertise in navigating power markets and executing long-term contracts."
A recent report by the American Clean Power Association (ACP) said Amazon procured 11 GW clean energy capacity between 2020 and 2022 and had nearly 12.4 GW contracted capacity in the US at the end of last year (see US Corporates Signed Up For Nearly 20 GW Clean Energy In 2022).