(Credit: AT&T)AT&T signed a new deal with a NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary to purchase 300 megawatts of wind energy from two new wind farm projects in Wilbarger and Hardeman Counties, Texas.
The agreement builds on AT&T’s previous investments backing two wind energy centers in Webb and Duval Counties in Texas and Caddo County, Oklahoma, the telecom says. In February, the company signed agreements to purchase 520 megawatts of wind power from two NextEra Energy Resources subsidiaries: 300 MW from Next Era wind farms in Texas and 220 MW from the Minco V Wind Farm in Oklahoma.
Citing information from the Business Renewables Center, AT&T says that altogether the agreements will deliver 820 megawatts of wind power, making this one of the nation’s largest corporate renewable energy purchases.
AT&T calls its renewables program is a key component of the company’s 10x Carbon Reduction Goal as well as part of the company’s larger commitment to the environment. For 2025, the telecom’s goal is to facilitate carbon savings for their customers equaling 10 times the footprint of AT&T’s own operations.
In addition, the company reports putting more than 65,000 energy efficiency projects in place since 2010, resulting in annualized savings of $427 million. The commitments to purchasing 820 MW of wind energy is expected to offset 22% of AT&T’s current electricity consumption, Joe Taylor, VP of global tech optimization and implementation at AT&T told Energy Manager Today.
“This is one step forward in our company’s larger commitment to the environment and the transition to a low-carbon economy. And we’re just getting started,” Taylor says. “We will continue to explore renewable energy solutions for our business and work with industry groups to help advance a clean energy future.”
Earlier this year, AT&T signed on to the Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles led by the World Wildlife Fund. Taylor points out that AT&T is also is a member of the Business Renewables Center initiative that, along with the Buyers’ Principles, forms part of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance.
He added that the company sees investing in renewable energy as good for its business and the planet. “We’ve made initial investments in wind energy because it is a clean, abundant, home-grown source of energy that delivers significant environmental and economic benefits,” Taylor continued.
“Wind energy is already one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world, with an annual economic impact of about $20 billion on the US economy,” he concluded.
