US technology firm Google has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Shell for the entire capacity of the 108MW Shell NoordzeeWind offshore wind farm, off the coast of the Netherlands.
According to the US giant, this will be the first time that a corporate PPA will extend the lifespan of an offshore wind farm. Shell NoordzeeWind is also the oldest and first offshore wind farm to undergo a life extension in the Netherlands. This agreement will extend the lifespan of the Netherlands’ first offshore wind farm by at least four years beyond its original decommissioning date.
Google opted to purchase 100% of the wind farm’s capacity, which enabled Shell to pursue permit extensions and invest in crucial upgrades, preventing the premature loss of valuable clean energy.
“This initiative helps to keep existing carbon-free energy resources on the grid that would otherwise have retired,” Google explained.
To date, the US firm has supported over 1GW of clean energy generation capacity in the Netherlands through PPAs such as its largest offshore wind power deal to date – the PPA for 478MW from Hollandse Kust Noord Wind Farm Zone Site V and Hollandse Kust West Site VI, currently under construction. In April 2023, Google also signed a ten-year PPA with Eneco to procure 153MW from a number of near-shore wind farms.
The deal with Shell comes only a few weeks after the technology conglomerate signed its first offshore wind power purchase agreement in the Asia Pacific region. It will purchase renewable energy from the Fengmiao 1 offshore wind project offshore Taiwan.