Amazon Scales Up Green Ambitions In India, 3 Solar Plants of 420 MW Planned In Rajasthan

In a development indicative of the strong shift at corporate level towards green energy, Amazon in India has signed three separate deals for a total of 420 MW for powering its operations in India. Additionally, Amazon has also announced 23 new solar rooftop plants across its fulfillment centres in India, which will account for an additional 4.09 MW of renewable energy.

The deals, of 220 MW with ReNew Power, 100 MW with AMP energy, and 110 MW with Brookfield Renewable, easily make it one of the largest such deals involving just solar power in India. For both ReNew and AMP energy, this was also their largest corporate PPAs till date. Brookfield has signed up for over 500 MW from solar power globally with Amazon.

According to AMP Energy, the plant will be fully operational by the end of 2023 and located in Bhadla, Rajasthan; a state where Amp is also developing 1GW of utility scale projects. All the plants are expected to be up and running by 2023-24 or earlier, in case of the rooftop plants. The firm has recently announced plans to enter the module and cell manufacturing business along with Websol for better control over its supply chain.

Sumant Sinha, Founder, Chairman and CEO at ReNew Power, expressing his satisfaction at the deal said that “Leading organizations like Amazon set an example for other companies globally to adopt clean energy sources and, accelerate the energy transition, a pre-requisite to meet our net-zero goals,” he added. Sinha expects the Corporate PPA market in India to be one of the most viable, and large opportunities for his firm going forward.

“At Amazon, we have worked hard to collaborate with and engage government and industry stakeholders on corporate power purchase agreements for renewable energy in India,” said Abhinav Singh, Director – Customer Fulfilment, Supply Chain and Amazon Transportation Services, Amazon India. “Besides these PPAs, our efforts include providing training for developers and other buyers on how to structure these agreements for mutual benefit, facilitating government dialogues with industry groups to highlight the importance of corporate buyers, and working with local energy providers who want to reach new customers. Amazon is committed to helping scale corporate renewable energy procurement options in the country, bringing associated green jobs and investments to more parts of India.”

The Amazon deal, noticeable for its size, will serve as a market for many corporates to speed up their own efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Notably, Reliance Industries, which has announced a 20 GW plan for renewable energy by 2025, is likely to dwarf most corporates when it comes to energy for captive  consumption by 2025.