Amazon announces its investment in three, new large-scale wind farms in Greece – the company’s largest initiative for Renewable Energy Sources in the country to date. The said energy parks will help cover the energy needs of Amazon in the region, providing clean energy and, at the same time, supporting the achievement of Greece’s goal of transition to the use of Renewable Energy Sources.
The relevant announcement was made in the context of the “AWS Day powered by Logicom” conference, held in Athens, on Tuesday, November 19, at the “Hellenic World” Cultural Center, in the presence of Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Theodore Skylakakis.
With these projects, Amazon is further strengthening the portfolio of energy investments it is developing internationally. In Greece, four Power Purchase Agreements have already been signed, which concern three Renewable Energy Sources projects. In particular, two of these agreements concern the wind farm in Vermio (north and south wind station of Vermio) in Western and Central Macedonia, while another two concern the wind farms in the areas of Mesokorfi and Koukouras in the Peloponnese.
The construction of the infrastructure has already started, and in 2026 the new wind farms are expected to be fully operational. Overall, as a result of the projects, it is estimated that clean energy will be produced, corresponding to the electricity supply of 200,000 Greek households, annually. The energy produced by the new projects will go directly to the central grid, meeting both Amazon’s operational needs and the needs of local businesses, public bodies and households.
The operation of the wind farms is expected to create, in the long term, significant economic benefits for Greece. Already, more than 100 new jobs have been created for the wind farm in Vermio, while when the stations are fully operational, the new jobs are expected to reach 300according to data from Aer Soléir, which is the implementing body of the project, based in Dublin and a significant presence in Europe in the field of development of renewable energy infrastructure.
The new projects are aligned with Amazon’s “Climate Pledge” initiative, which is the company’s commitment to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2040. At the same time, they contribute to the achievement of the goals of the National Energy and Climate Plan of Greece, which foresees the production of over 80% of the country’s electricity from Renewable Sources by 2030. With 48% of Greece’s energy production based on fossil fuels fuel, the new wind farms are expected to significantly help reduce carbon emissions in the country and support Greece’s transition to clean energy production. These Amazon Renewable Energy projects are part of a larger initiative that includes more than 500 solar and wind projects worldwide. In this context, Amazon recently achieved its goal of using 100% Renewable Energy in 2023, seven years earlier than the original forecast for 2030.
“The three new wind farms in Greece are a major milestone in our investment activity for clean, carbon-free energy across Europe and add to the ever-increasing number of Renewable Energy projects we support in the country,” stated the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Director of Energy for EMEA, Ms. Lindsay McQuade. “With more than 180 wind and solar projects in over a dozen European countries, we are committed to driving the transition to clean energy both to support our operational needs and for local communities”she added.
“The collaboration of Amazon, Aer Soléir and the National Bank led to a very good news for our country, an investment of more than 1 billion. dollars, which is fully underway and expected to be completed within the next two years, offering clean energy equivalent to powering 200,000 households. This emblematic investment is part of Amazon’s integrated, strategic presence in Greece and the wider region. In other words, it is not only an energy investment, but an investment linked to all the activities that Amazon develops and will develop in the coming years in Greece. The important thing about this investment, beyond the new jobs created, is the combination of energy and development that characterizes it. It is proof that we should not look at clean energy statically or defensively. Clean energy catapults development into the future, enabling us to think and move forward in other activities as well, but it also strengthens the prospect of national, energy independence. That’s the goal. The complete change of standard for the Greek economy, the transition to an economy that will itself produce abundant, cheap and clean energy, which will allow it to be a beacon of development and progress in the wider region” stated the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Theodore Skylakakis.
As part of its collaboration with Amazon, Aer Soléir, as the project developer, has allocated more than 1 million. euros for investments in the local community, related to upgrading infrastructure, donations to schools, support for emergency services, as well as financial support for local agriculture and local producers.
In relation to the wind farm in Vermio, Aer Soléir has invested an additional 1.8 million. euros for reforestation and biodiversity programs in the area, which concern, respectively, the upgrading of road networks in forest areas, the creation of recreational areas and walking paths that improve the local community’s access to the forest, but also forest management programs that strengthen the preservation of the forest wealth of the region.
“Quantum is proud to support Aer Soléir in its partnership with Amazon in Greece”stated founder and CEO of Quantum Capital Group, Mr. Wil Vanloh. “These energy supply agreements with Amazon demonstrate Aer Soléir’s success as a leading Renewable Energy development platform and underline our commitment to promoting sustainable energy solutions across Europe.”
THE CEO and founding partner of Aer Soléir, Mr. Andy Kinsella, stated: “Since its establishment in 2021, Aer Soléir has been committed to promoting Greece’s transition to green energy. With the support of our investors, Quantum Capital Group and 547 Energy, our financial partners, National Bank of Greece and Recovery and Resilience Fund, as well as our local development partner, Enteka, we are investing over 500 million. euros in wind energy projects throughout Greece. We are proud that our projects contribute, significantly, to the Greek government’s goals for Renewable Energy Sources and we are excited to work with Amazon.”
The total investment is expected to exceed 1 billion. dollars and will be co-financed by the National Bank, as well as by funds from the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
THE General Manager of Corporate and Investment Banking of the National Bank of Greece, Mr. Vassilis Karamouzis, stated: “Accelerating Greece’s energy transition and attracting foreign direct investment are key priorities for our bank. We are proud to be the exclusive “Partner of Choice” for Aer Soléir, participating for our part in the largest agreement to supply Amazon’s Renewable Energy in Greece to date.”
Over the period 2014 – 2022, Amazon’s investments in Renewable Energy Sources across Europe generated approximately €2.4 billion. euros to the regional economy and contributed more than 723 million euro to Europe’s GDP, while creating more than 3,900 full-time jobs, in 2022 alone. Since 2020, AWS has established an “Edge Location” in Athens, bringing advanced technologies such as “Amazon CloudFront”, “Lambda@Edge” , “AWS Shield” and “AWS WAF” in the country, connecting Greece to the global AWS infrastructure network. AWS is working with the Greek Government to leverage cloud technologies to boost innovation in Greece, including a pilot project to transform the island of Naxos into a smart island, as well as the creation of the first European Outpost Testing Lab (OTL) in Athens.
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Source: myphone.gr
