Most offshore wind farms sell their electricity to a utility. A utility owns others and provides the power to their grid. A small number find a different way to market by selling some power to a big consumer. An EDP/Engie joint venture off Scotland has succeeded in just that. And in a high-tech fashion, the Moray West project sold more than half its output to Google and Amazon in two separate deals. 

Amazon has signed a contract to buy more than half of Moray West’s 880 MW generating capacity from Engie. The deal will help Amazon achieve its goal of powering all its operations with renewable energy by 2025.

“Moray West will play a critical role in decarbonizing Amazon’s operations and the UK grid. This agreement demonstrates Amazon’s commitment to this ambition,” said Lindsay McQuade, Amazon’s director of energy for EMEA.

In 2023, Amazon acquired almost one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity in the UK, the EU, and globally. Solidifying its position as the largest corporate purchaser of clean power. The newly announced agreement represents half of last year’s total. 

Moray West has another major client in addition to Amazon, which is Google’s competitor. The technology giant based in California has committed to purchasing 100 GW of the wind farm’s capacity. Once the project is successfully launched, Google’s UK operations will be powered by 90% renewable energy.

Matt Brittin, the President of Google EMEA, stated that people in the UK and Europe are becoming increasingly worried about climate change and energy security. He further added that he shares the same concern and believes that technology can play a significant role in addressing these issues. According to him, technology can help reduce carbon emissions both at an individual level and by assisting others in reducing their carbon footprint.