Apex Clean Energy and Google announced a power purchase agreement for the full capacity of Rocky Forge Wind in a press release last Thursday.
As Virginia’s first onshore wind farm, the 79.3 MW project represents a historic milestone, both for the Commonwealth and for Apex in its home state.
This partnership is the second between Apex and Google, following the agreement for Timbermill Wind in North Carolina in 2023. The Botetourt County wind project will support Google’s data centers in Virginia, advancing the company’s 2030 goal to achieve net-zero emissions and 24/7 carbon-free energy, matching its electricity needs with clean energy every hour of every day.
“Rocky Forge represents a new chapter in Virginia’s energy transition, delivering lasting economic and environmental benefits to Apex’s home state while advancing Google’s sustainability goals,” said Eamon Perrel, Apex executive vice president of business development. “Google—alongside many key stakeholders over the years—enabled this milestone, demonstrating the power of partnership in accelerating the shift to clean energy.”
One of few wind farms in the PJM market, Rocky Forge presents a unique opportunity to support the decarbonization of expanding data center operations in the region. The PJM market is a wholesale electricity market that manages the flow of electricity in a region that includes 13 states and Washington, D.C.
Given the nature of wind energy’s generation, with strong production at night and during the winter months, wind is particularly complementary to solar production.
“As we continue to progress towards our goal to operate every Google campus on clean electricity every hour of every day by 2030, we are always looking for opportunities to accelerate the delivery of new clean power to the grid,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google head of data center energy. “The Rocky Forge Wind project builds on our strong collaboration with Apex Clean Energy to both support decarbonizing our operations in Virginia and the broader PJM grid system.”
The Apex release further noted that Rocky Forge will drive significant investment in southwest Virginia, generating up to 250 jobs during construction and approximately $30 million in state and local tax revenue over the lifetime of the facility. The project will utilize GE wind turbines and is slated to begin commercial operations in 2026.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
