Indian data center operator Sify Technologies Limited has signed more than 200MW of power purchase agreements (PPAs) for wind and solar power.
The company this week announced it has concluded power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Vibrant Energy Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Blue Leaf Energy Asia Pte. Ltd. which is a portfolio company of Macquarie’s Green Investment Group Ltd (GIG).
The PPAs are for a total 231MW of solar and wind energy capacity to power Sify’s latest hyperscale data centers, of which 67MW solar PPA had been signed in March 2021 and recently commissioned.
“We decided to lead by action, as we always have done in the ICT space. With the constantly expanding need for world-class data center facilities to meet the burgeoning data-centric transformation of Indian businesses, we believe that investing in clean energy sources to fuel this transformation is a social imperative,” said Raju Vegesna, Chairman, Sify. “Sify is proud to be doing its part to help our customers become a part of this clean energy future.”
Oliver Lewis, chairman of Vibrant Energy and executive director of GIG, added: “The partnership with Sify Technologies marks a new milestone on Vibrant’s journey of providing green energy and tailored solutions to meet the growing business demand.”
Sify operates 10 data centers across India totaling around 70MW. Sify said it will soon be able to deliver most of the power required for its Mumbai data centers from renewable sources and intends to continue increasing renewable energy use across its footprint.
Srini Viswanathan, CEO of Vibrant Energy, said: “Vibrant is honored to partner with Sify in their journey to build sustainable data center solutions in the Indian market. Vibrant is looking forward to continuing to work with Sify to support them in their 100 percent renewable energy goals.”
In September 2021 Sify announced plans to more than double its data center footprint in the country over the next few years and add 200MW in the next 4 years and subsequently raised $135 million from Kotak Mahindra Bank. The company said at the time it planned to develop new facilities in Mumbai, Noida, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. It will also be invested in renewable energy requirements for both operational and planned data centers.
“As an early adopter of ESG guidelines, Sify has constantly pushed the envelope in the Data Center space. This shift to renewables will deliver clear economic advantages, but it is also about proving the viability of adopting green energy solutions at an industrial scale,” M P Vijay Kumar, CFO of Sify, said of the PPA announcement.
Vibrant Energy currently owns a portfolio of 66MW of operational solar PV projects and has a development pipeline of over 400MW across India.