Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has signed a new wind energy Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Liberty in Michigan.

Liberty, a part of Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. this week announced today a ‘collaboration’ with Meta on the new 112MW Deerfield II wind project in the Great Lakes State.

Liberty will develop, engineer, construct, own, and operate the Deerfield II wind project. Construction began in April 2022 and due online in 2023.

Located in Huron County, Michigan, adjacent to its Deerfield I wind facility, Liberty is to invest approximately $200 million in the project; the long-term deal is for Meta to take 100 percent of the energy from the site.

Jeff Norman, chief development officer for Algonquin, said: "Wind and solar energy investments are critical streams within our growth program, and we're very pleased to be able to expand upon our existing partnership with Meta.”

"Our company is all about thinking globally and acting locally. Projects like Altavista solar and Deerfield II allow us to have that dual-level impact by supporting Meta's operations with 100percent renewable energy while contributing to the surrounding communities."

Meta doesn’t operate any facilities in Michigan. Its closest data centers to Michigan and Huron County are its DeKalb facility in Illinois and its New Albany data center in Ohio, each more than 300 miles away.

"Since 2020, our global operations have been supported by 100 percent renewable energy and, as we continue to grow, it is increasingly important that we have strong partnerships to bring new renewable energy to the grid," added Urvi Parekh, head of renewable energy at Meta. "We appreciate the work Liberty has done to help us bring these 112MW to the grid in support of our operations."

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., the parent company of Liberty, owns, operates, and/or has net interests in more than 4GW of installed renewable energy capacity.