Facebook and Adobe to buy wind power from Nebraska facility

Facebook is to expand its use of wind energy through a new power purchase agreement with Enel Green Power North America (EGPNA).

The deal, announced Monday, builds upon a previous one in which Facebook agreed to purchase the output from a 200-megawatt (MW) section of the Rattlesnake Creek wind farm in Dixon County, Nebraska.

Under the new terms, Facebook will gradually buy all of the plant’s 320 MW output by 2029. The wind energy will be used to power Facebook’s data center in Papillon, Nebraska.

Separately, Adobe will purchase the energy produced by 10 MW of the wind farm between 2019 and 2028. The Rattlesnake Creek facility is currently being built and is expected to be operational by the end of this year.

“Powering our data centers with 100 percent clean and renewable energy is not just a goal for Facebook, it is a requirement of our business,” Bobby Hollis, director of global energy at Facebook, said in a statement Monday. “The Rattlesnake Creek wind farm will enable us to power our future Papillion Data Center, and fulfills our passion to expand the energy market for other corporate buyers, like Adobe.”

The Rattlesnake Creek wind farm is owned by Rattlesnake Creek Wind Project, a subsidiary of EGPNA. Investment in the construction of the site is around $430 million. EGPNA is part of the Enel Group’s Renewable Energies division.

Both Facebook and Adobe are part of the RE100, a global initiative of some of the world’s biggest businesses, all committed to renewable power.