Global digital infrastructure company Equinix has signed its first power purchase agreement (PPA) in India with CleanMax, one of Asia’s leading renewable energy providers in the commercial and industrial sector.

PPAs are an effective way for data centres to procure renewable energy and contribute to the expansion of renewable energy sources within local markets.

Under the agreement, the parties will collaborate to build a 33-megawatt (MW) captive power plant in Maharashtra. This partnership, the parties say, will provide renewable energy sufficient to match the consumption of Equinix’s growing portfolio of data centres in Mumbai and support the nation’s renewable energy target.

The captive power projects, which comprise 26.4MW-peak of solar capacity and 6.6MW of wind capacity, are set to become operational in phases in 2025.

By investing in both solar and wind energy, the company aims to maximize the usage of renewable energy to address the rising demand for digital infrastructure driven by increasing artificial intelligence adoption in Mumbai.

This investment also demonstrates, the company says, its long-term commitment to sustainability and its proactive approach to integrating renewable energy into the grids where it operates.

“This PPA enables us to provide our customers in India with 100% renewable energy coverage for their deployments at Equinix,” says Manoj Paul, the company’s managing director, India. “India ranks fourth globally for total renewable power capacity additions.”