Equinix, a global digital infrastructure company, has signed its first Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in India with CleanMax, a renewable energy provider backed by Brookfield. The partnership will establish a 33 MW Captive Power Plant in Maharashtra to supply renewable energy for Equinix's data center operations in Mumbai. The project will include 26.4 MWp of solar and 6.6 MW of wind power, expected to be fully operational by 2025.
Also Read: Equinix to Invest USD 42 Million in New Mumbai Data Center
Equinix’s First PPA in India with CleanMax
"This partnership will provide renewable energy sufficient to match the consumption of Equinix's growing portfolio of data centers in Mumbai and support the nation’s renewable energy target," Equinix said on Thursday. Once fully operational, this project will provide renewable energy coverage for Equinix's International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers in Mumbai.
According to Equinix, by investing in both solar and wind energy, the company aims to maximise the usage of renewable energy to address the rising demand for digital infrastructure driven by increasing AI adoption in Mumbai.
Equinix’s Growing Portfolio of PPAs
Earlier in 2024, the company signed PPAs in Australia and Singapore. This agreement is part of Equinix's renewable energy strategy, with 23 PPAs signed globally, projected to add over 3.1 million megawatt hours (MWhs) of clean energy annually across the US, Australia, France, Finland, India, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Singapore once operational.
Manoj Paul, Managing Director of Equinix India, commented, "This PPA not only strengthens our commitment to sustainability but also enables us to provide our customers in India with 100 percent renewable energy coverage for their deployments at Equinix. India ranks fourth globally for total renewable power capacity additions."
Also Read: Equinix Announces USD 15 Billion Joint Venture to Expand xScale Data Centers
Sustainable Digital Infrastructure
Raouf Abdel, Executive Vice President, Global Operations at Equinix, added, "Digital infrastructure has become the critical foundation of the economy. As the demand for data centers continues to grow, ensuring a sustainable and reliable energy source becomes a significant challenge. This investment aligns with our long-term commitment to sustainability."
Kuldeep Jain, Managing Director of CleanMax, highlighted the partnership as a pivotal move for India's digital infrastructure. "The landmark initiative will illustrate how corporates can support their growth ambitions while simultaneously nurturing sustainable operations," he said.
Also Read: Nxtra by Airtel Deploys AI to Enhance Data Centre Operations
Energy Efficiency Investments
Equinix reported that it invested USD 77.5 million globally in energy efficiency projects in 2023, reducing annual energy consumption by 66,862 MWh and improving PUE by 8.8 percent year-over-year.
Following the commencement of power supply to Equinix's facility in Maharashtra, CleanMax intends to explore broader sustainability solutions for the digital infrastructure company's upcoming AI-ready data centers across India and the globe, the official release said.
