Energy Efficiency, Commercial, Sourcing Renewables - May 31, 2018
Facebook signs green tariff for Utah data center
Facebook will begin construction on a 970,000 square-foot data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah to be powered with 100% renewable energy via a green tariff with Rocky Mountain Power.
The project "represents the first use of Rocky Mountain Power’s Electric Service Schedule 34, which allows qualified customers to receive power from completely renewable sources," according to a statement from the utility.
Facebook will invest more than $750 million in addition to more than $100 million in utility infrastructure, including a new electrical substation that will provide new power delivery capacity to the region to support additional economic development in Eagle Mountain and the surrounding area.
"We are committed to powering our data centers with 100 percent clean and renewable energy and finding strong partners that can help us achieve that goal is an important part of our selection process," said Rachel Peterson, vp of data center strategy at Facebook. "We worked with Rocky Mountain Power to develop a green tariff that allows better access to renewables for all customers, and we are excited to continue that great partnership to bring hundreds of megawatts of solar energy to Utah."
A report from AP noted:In 2016, Utah tried to coax Facebook into building a similar facility in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan, but the deal fell apart when some local leaders called the offer too generous. Critics said that the few permanent jobs the project would create were not worth the public subsidies. Facebook subsequently took the data center to New Mexico. Three months later, state legislators voted in a special session to approve a sales tax exemption for data centers.
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