Meta to Feed off 225MW Iowa Wind

US company Apex Clean Energy is to supply Meta with all the electricity from the 225MW Great Pathfinder wind farm in the US state of Iowa.

Great Pathfinder, which is located in Boone and Hamilton Counties, will be Meta’s second clean power purchase in Iowa.

The project will help support Meta’s operations in the region, including its data centre campus approximately 64km away in Altoona, Iowa, which recently announced an expansion in December.

In addition to the economic benefits created by Meta’s data centre, Great Pathfinder will create local benefits in Boone and Hamilton Counties.

The wind farm will generate approximately $32m in local tax revenue, $74m in payments to landowners, 270 full-time local jobs during construction, and nine long-term local operations positions.

Great Pathfinder is expected to begin commercial operations later this year.

Apex Clean Energy president and chief executive Mark Goodwin said: “Our partnership with Meta positions Great Pathfinder as a best-in-class clean energy project benefiting communities in central Iowa and across the Hawkeye State.

“Leveraging Iowa’s tremendous wind resources will accelerate the deployment of clean energy, create local jobs, and generate significant local and state economic investment—a trifecta of benefits only possible through trusted collaboration.”

Meta director of renewable energy Urvi Parekh said: “We are proud to partner with Apex to continue bringing new renewable energy resources, investment, and jobs to Iowa through this new wind project.

“Iowa’s ability to host high-quality wind projects, while providing a welcoming business environment, has made it a great home for our data centre, and we hope this investment demonstrates our continued commitment to the state and the local community.”