Facebook partners CleanMax to move to 100 pc renewable energy in India

Facebook has partnered CleanMax with a view to move to 100 percent renewable energy in India as part of its sustainability efforts.

Under the agreement, Facebook and CleanMax will assemble a portfolio of wind and solar projects, supplying renewable power into India's electrical grid, in states where the social networking giant's facilities are also present, a statement said on Thursday.

"Facebook and CleanMax on Thursday announced a partnership to support Facebook's sustainability ambitions in India with renewable power from wind and solar facilities set up by CleanMax, India's leading B2B renewable energy provider," it said.

The first project to be brought online in the agreement is a 32 MW wind project located in Karnataka, the statement added.

While CleanMax will own and operate the projects, Facebook will provide long-term support by committing to purchase 100 percent of the environmental attribute certificates (EACs) from the projects for years to come.

"We're excited to announce this important step that is helping us support our operations in the region, including our offices in India, with 100 percent renewable energy.

"This partnership with CleanMax will enable new solar and wind power to be generated in the near future, contributing to the decarbonisation of the Indian electrical grid. Facebook is committed to upholding the highest standards in environmental sustainability across all aspects of our operations," Urvi Parekh, Head of renewable energy at Facebook, said.

Approximately half of the project capacity has recently been commissioned and is already generating power.

"...We have always strived to develop innovative solutions to help our clients achieve 100 percent renewable ambitions. Given the constraints in sourcing power to many facilities, we are working with forward-thinking corporations like Facebook to find creative solutions to these problems," CleanMax Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Hines said.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)