Google is continuing its commitment to procure clean, reliable power for their company’s growing energy needs. Google and Brookfield Asset Management recently announced the world’s largest corporate clean power deal, an historic hydropower agreement that aims to increase Google’s share of clean energy. The “Hydro Framework Agreement” (HFA) will deliver up to 3,000 megawatts of carbon-free electric capacity to support Google’s growing IT infrastructure.
The first energy contracts, worth $3 billion, will supply power from Brookfield’s 670 MW Holtwood and Safe Harbor hydroelectric facilities in Pennsylvania.
The deal is part of Google’s wider strategy to secure dependable, long-term, carbon-free electricity for its data center operations across the United States.
Under the hydropower agreement, Google can secure up to 3 gigawatts (GW) of hydroelectric power from assets that will be relicensed, overhauled, or upgraded for continuous power delivery. Essentially, Brookfield will modernize existing hydroelectric facilities and supply Google with clean energy under 20-year power purchase agreements. The companies will initially focus on the mid-Atlantic (PJM) and mid-continent U.S. electricity markets, with the potential to expand to other regions in the near future.
“At Google, we’re dedicated to responsibly growing the digital infrastructure that powers daily life for people, communities, and businesses,” Amanda Peterson Corio, Head of Data Center Energy from Google, said in a press release. “This collaboration with Brookfield is a significant step forward, ensuring a clean energy supply in the PJM region where we operate. Hydropower is a proven, low-cost technology, offering dependable, homegrown, carbon-free electricity that creates jobs and builds a stronger grid for all.”
The hydropower agreement represents a significant development, highlighting the digital infrastructure sector’s adoption of clean and reliable energy sources. On July 10, Google announced that it had successfully reduced its energy consumption across its data centers last year, despite heightened energy demand, crediting clean energy sources as the primary driver of this success. The company cited 25 contracted projects, totaling 2.5 GW of clean energy, that came online in 2024.
Across the IT sector, major tech giants such as Amazon and Meta are making ambitious energy commitments to decarbonize their operations and fulfill their climate goals. This is particularly relevant in the energy-intensive age of AI. A December 2024 report from the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that by 2028, more than half of the electricity used by data centers will be dedicated to AI. That is equivalent to the total annual energy consumption of 22% of all U.S. households, according to an analysis by MIT Technology Review.
By enabling large-scale digital giants to secure stable, carbon-free energy on a hyper-scale basis, companies like Brookfield are not only supporting a new wave of decarbonization in the digital tech industry but also ensuring that energy consumption used to power generative AI and machine learning data centers is kept to a minimum.
“Our partnership with Google demonstrates the critical role that hydropower can play in helping hyperscale customers meet their energy goals. Delivering power at scale and from a range of sources will be required to meet the growing electricity demands from digitalization and artificial intelligence,” Connor Teskey, President of Brookfield Asset Management, said in the press release.
Sources:
https://datacentremagazine.com/news/google-brookfield-launches-3-000-mw-hydropower-partnership
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