Global retail giant Amazon achieved its 100% renewable energy target, initially planned for 2030, seven years early, in 2023.
In 2019, Amazon set a goal to match all the electricity consumed across its global operations – including its data centres, corporate buildings, grocery stores, and fulfilment centres – with 100% renewable energy by 2030. On Wednesday (10 July), the organisation confirmed that it had achieved this goal.
In a statement, the company said it had become the “largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the world for four years running” and had invested in “more than 500 solar and wind projects globally”.
Indeed, Amazon has secured power purchase agreements (PPAs) in the UK for several years. For instance, the organisation recently (21 March) signed an agreement with Iberdrola to procure 159MW of renewable energy from the 1.4GW East Anglia 3 offshore wind farm.
Before this, Amazon agreed to increase its share of output from Ocean Winds’ Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland to 473MW.
The company signed a corporate PPA with ENGIE, one-half of the 50/50 EDP Renewables-ENGIE joint venture dedicated to offshore wind. The 882MW wind farm is located in the northeast of Scotland, and the project is set to be finished in 2024.
Amazon’s renewable energy target has been achieved as part of its Climate Pledge, aiming to have net zero carbon by 2040. The company said it remains committed to achieving this despite the unforetold setbacks, such as the rise in popularity of generative artificial intelligence (AI), which is expected to increase electricity demand due to the data centres that must be in place to support its upscaling.
Because of this, Amazon said in a statement that it will “continue to invest heavily to add substantial amounts of renewable energy to our portfolio” but will also “explore new carbon-free energy sources that can complement renewables and balance our needs”.
“Reaching our renewable energy goal is an incredible achievement, and we’re proud of the work we’ve done to get here, seven years early. We also know that this is just a moment in time, and our work to decarbonise our operations will not always be the same each year—we’ll continue to make progress, while also constantly evolving on our path to 2040,” said Amazon chief sustainability officer Kara Hurst.
“Our teams will remain ambitious, and continue to do what is right for our business, our customers, and the planet. That’s why we’ll continue investing in solar and wind projects, while also supporting other forms of carbon-free energy, like nuclear, battery storage, and emerging technologies that can help power our operations for decades to come.”
