Facebook data centre in Nebraska to be powered 100% by wind farm

A Facebook data centre in Papillion, Nebraska, will receive 100% of its power from a wind farm in Dixon County.

Construction has begun for the Rattlesnake Creek wind farm, and will cost $430mn.

The farm will have a capacity of 320MW, and under a power purchase agreement, Facebook has agreed to buy 200MW to power its centre.

Facebook is now “one step closer to our goal of powering all of our operations with clean and renewable energy”, according Bobby Hollis, the Director of Global Energy at Facebook.

The farm will be owned by a subsidiary of Enel Green Power North America (EGPNA) – Rattlesnake Creek Wind Project.

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Approximately 1.3TWh will be annually generated by the wind farm when fully operational, matching the amount of energy required to power 105,000 US homes.

The farm will also avoid roughly 940,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

“This project consolidates our growing presence in the U.S. as our company enters into a new state and expands our business with new partners,” stated Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel Green Power. 

“We are thrilled to be able to support Facebook's growing renewable energy needs in Nebraska and be a part of driving economic development in the region.”

The US Department of Energy stated that the US is “one step closer to our goal of powering all of our operations with clean and renewable energy.”