US data and technology giant Meta has signed a renewable energy purchase agreement (REPA) for a 150MWp floating PV (FPV) project in Singapore.
The deal, signed with Singapore-headquartered engineering firm Sembcorp, will see the firm build, own, and operate the project on the Kranji Reservoir in the northern part of Singapore.
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Meta will purchase the power from the site for 25 years through its Singapore-based subsidiary, Malkoha Pte. Ltd. The PV system will support Meta’s data centre operations in Singapore.
Construction of the site is expected to begin in the first half of 2027, Sembcorp said, subject to “fulfilling the conditions under the REPA and obtaining the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities”.
Beside China, Southeast Asia is the leading global region for FPV. Energy analyst Wood Mackenzie forecast that global FPV capacity would reach 77GW by 2033, led overwhelmingly by the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Indonesia and Malaysia play particularly large roles; the latter issued a tender for 500MW of floating PV earlier this year.
240MW Avangrid project comes online with Meta PPA
Elsewhere, US renewable energy developer Avangrid has begun commercial operations at a 238MW solar PV project with a power purchase agreement (PPA) in place with Meta.
The True North PV project in Falls County, Texas, will support Meta’s planned data centre in Temple, Texas. The data giant signed the PPA with Avangrid – a subsidiary of Spanish energy major Iberdrola – in March 2023. Construction began in August 2023.
Avangrid said the True North project used US-made trackers from Array Technologies, produced at its Albuquerque, New Mexico facility.
The commissioning of this site expands Meta’s growing presence in Texas. As one of the largest corporate buyers of solar PV power in the US, Meta has invested heavily in Texas PV capacity through PPAs and environmental attribute agreements with major developers like Germany’s RWE, France’s Engie and New York-headquartered D.E Shaw Renewable Investments. Most of these are designed to power or offset the company’s data centre operations in the state, following its well-publicised commitment to power its operations entirely with renewables.
The company, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, has reportedly been moving its content and moderation staff to Texas to “avoid censorship”, according to CEO and centi-billionaire Mark Zuckerberg.
PV Tech publisher Solar Media will be organising the fourth edition of Large Scale Solar USA in Dallas, Texas 29-30 April. After a record year for solar PV additions in the US, the event will dive into the ongoing uncertainties on tariffs, tax credits and trade policies as more domestic manufacturing becomes operational. Other challenges, such as the interconnection queues and permitting, will also be covered in Dallas. More information, including how to attend, can be read here.
