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(Photo: Sembcorp)
Colocation company Equinix has entered into a solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with Sembcorp in Singapore to supply renewable energy to its data center.
Sembcorp Power will provide Equinix with a maximum capacity of 75 MWp from its solar assets and 30 MW from its gas-power generation portfolio for up to 18 years. This marks Equinix's inaugural PPA in Singapore.
The company will procure energy from the Housing Development Board’s (HDB) SolarNova 7 program, which aims to install solar panels across 1,290 HDB blocks and 99 government sites. The project is scheduled to commence in 2027.
Raouf Abdel, EVP global operations, Equinix, said: “Our recent PPAs in Singapore and Australia are significant steps toward our 2030 goal of 100% clean and renewable coverage globally.”
Equinix currently operates five data centers throughout Singapore, with the latest one opening in 2022. It was one of four entities granted new capacity last year under a pilot scheme aimed at easing Singapore's ongoing data center moratorium.
Launched in 2014, Singapore's SolarNova program installs solar panels on government-owned buildings and housing. The program aims to produce approximately 420 GWh of solar energy annually, which is equivalent to about 5% of Singapore's total energy consumption.
Under the scheme, solar energy is first utilized to power common services such as lifts, lights, and water pumps on HDB estates during the day. Any surplus energy is then fed back into the grid.
Sembcorp boasts a portfolio of 727 MWp in Singapore. The company has previously inked PPAs with Singtel, Google, and Meta.
Sembcorp’s Vickrem Vijayan said: “Our unique suite of competitive and green energy solutions will underpin Equinix’s sustainability efforts and environmental stewardship within its data centers, which are a fast-growing cornerstone of the digital economy.”
Equinix has now signed 22 PPAs globally, which are expected to contribute over 3 million MWh of renewable energy annually to grids across the US, Australia, France, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Singapore once operational.
