AT&T Announces One of the Largest Corporate
Renewable Energy Purchases; Signs on to Corporate Renewable Energy
Buyers’ Principles
Wind Farms in Oklahoma and Texas to Provide
520 MW of Renewable Energy
AT&T will purchase 520 megawatts (MW) of wind power through 2
agreements with subsidiaries of NextEra Energy Resources, the world’s
largest operator of renewable energy projects. Together, these deals
constitute one of the largest corporate renewable energy purchases in
the U.S.1 It’s also a key component of our goal to develop and leverage technology solutions that enable carbon savings 10 times the footprint of our operations by 2025.
220 MW of power will come from the Minco V Wind Farm located in Caddo
County, Oklahoma. 300 MW will come from a wind farm in Webb and Duval
Counties in Texas. The projects are expected to generate savings
equivalent to taking 350,595 passenger vehicles off the road or
providing electricity for a quarter million homes a year.2
“As one of the world’s largest companies, we know how we source our
energy is important,” said Scott Mair, President, AT&T Operations.
“Many companies are focused on their own carbon footprint but we believe
our industry can do more. We’ve been working for a long time to ensure
our wind projects deliver for both our business and the environment. We
will continue to explore renewable energy solutions to help create a
better, more sustainable world.”
As part of this purchase, we’re also signing on to the Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles.
The group is led by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and is made up of
large energy buyers working to spur progress on renewable energy and
fulfil their increased demand for it. AT&T is also a member of the
Business Renewables Center, an initiative that, along with the Buyers’
Principles, forms part of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance.
“AT&T’s decision to scale up its use of renewable energy is a
signal of the growing power of corporate demand to drive energy
markets,” said Marty Spitzer, World Wildlife Fund’s Senior Director of
Renewable Energy and Climate. “Big companies setting big commitments is
key to driving our nation’s transition toward a clean energy future.
AT&T is joining the ranks of companies for whom renewable energy is
the new normal.”
“We’re proud to work with AT&T to achieve one of the largest U.S.
corporate renewable energy purchases,” said Mike O’Sullivan, senior
vice president of development, NextEra Energy Resources. “It’s clear
that renewable energy presents a tremendous opportunity to power
America’s companies with clean, affordable electricity and AT&T is
helping to lead the way forward. Renewable projects like these also
drive growth in rural communities, creating good jobs, providing
additional revenue and generating positive economic impact.”
The large-scale renewable energy purchase is one part of our larger
commitment to the environment and the transition to a low-carbon
economy. Since 2010, we’ve implemented more than 65,000 energy
efficiency projects resulting in annualized savings of $427 million.3
By the end of 2016, we reduced fleet emissions by 99,000 metric tons of
CO2e and reduced the size of our domestic fleet by 1,800 vehicles.
In addition, AT&T recognizes that climate change is a problem,
and we are committed to going beyond our own operations to be part of
the solution. We’re collaborating closely with customers and technology
leaders to deliver innovative solutions that can enable carbon
reductions. These IoT for Good solutions can help reduce emissions by connecting everything from trucks, to farm equipment, to city infrastructure and more.
Source: AT&T media announcement
1Business Renewables Center (2017). BRC Deal Tracker.
2EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
3AT&T. CSR Website. FAQ - Energy Management (2017).