Equinix has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to procure solar energy in Portugal.
Announced this week, the ten-year deal will see the colocation firm procure the output from Sonnedix’s first Portuguese solar PV project, the 149MW Sonnedix Douro.
The project, located in the municipality of Tarouca, Viseu district in northern Portugal, is Sonnedix’s largest solar PV project in Europe. It is set to launch in July 2025.
Axel Thiemann, CEO of Sonnedix, said: “We are very pleased to be extending our relationship with Equinix across Iberia. This agreement, our first PPA in Portugal, establishes our commercial presence in an important growth market as we continue to expand and convert our pipeline of projects.”
Carlos Paulino, Equinix managing director in Portugal, added: “This deal reinforces Portugal’s position in the EMEA renewable energy market and demonstrates Equinix’s commitment to sustainability, not just in Portugal but across the world. Equinix was the first in the data center in the industry to commit to becoming climate neutral by 2030, aligned to science-based targets, and we plan to continue seeking opportunities such as this new solar PPA and other innovations to support renewable power generation.”
Equinix currently operates a single data center – LS1 – in Lisbon. The site consists of one building with 16,000 square feet (1,475 sqm) of colocation space. Equinix acquired the site from Itconic in 2017, with Itconic having acquired it from Telvent/Carrierhouse in 2015.
Plans for a second Lisbon facility – LS2 – were announced earlier this year. The facility is set to launch in Q1 2025 and will initially offer 625 racks.
Sonnedix and Equinix previously signed a PPA earlier this year in Spain.
Equinix was supported on the transaction by Schneider Electric and Holland & Knight.
2023 has already seen Equinix sign a 225MW PPA in Spain with IGNIS, as well as its third PPA in Finland.
Established in 2009, Sonnedix has a total capacity of more than 10GW globally, including a development pipeline of more than 6GW.