U.S.-based The AES Corporation has announced the signing of two long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Meta Platforms Inc., aimed at powering the technology company’s data centres with a total of 650 megawatts of solar capacity. These projects will be connected to the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) grid, which covers parts of Texas and Kansas among other regions.
Strengthened position in the corporate market
These new agreements reinforce AES’s strategy to provide energy solutions to large-scale international clients. The company now holds 10.1 gigawatts of contractual arrangements with major data centre operators, including 7.7 gigawatts under long-term PPAs dedicated to powering their digital infrastructure. These commitments contribute to AES’s ongoing recognition by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which ranked AES as one of the top energy suppliers to corporations for the third consecutive year in its 2024 Corporate Energy Market Outlook.
SPP integration and local economic impact
The two solar projects will be integrated into the SPP market, a regional electricity transmission network spanning 14 U.S. states. In addition to supplying power to Meta’s infrastructure, AES noted that the projects will create several hundred construction jobs. They are also expected to generate long-term tax revenues amounting to millions of dollars for local governments in Texas and Kansas.
Installed capacity and growth outlook
AES currently operates 32.7 gigawatts of energy capacity worldwide, maintains a secured project backlog of 12.3 gigawatts, and is developing a pipeline estimated at 65 gigawatts. These figures reflect a continuous growth strategy in the long-term energy contracting sector, particularly with large-scale artificial intelligence and cloud computing operators.
“By providing energy solutions that are fast to implement and cost-effective, we continue to be a preferred partner for companies like Meta,” said Andrés Gluski, President and Chief Executive Officer of AES, in a statement issued on May 21.
