Amazon plans to invest $20 billion (USD 12.97 billion) over the next five years to expand its cloud computing business in Australia by 2029, including funding for two new solar farms in Victoria and one in Queensland. These projects will help meet the energy demands of data centers in Melbourne and Sydney, which are significant consumers of electricity in Australia’s grid.
The PPAs cover the operational 58 MW Mokoan Solar Farm near Winton in northern Victoria, as well as the 100 MW Winton North solar park near Glenrowan, Victoria, and the 100 MW Bullyard solar farm near Bundaberg, Queensland, both in pre-construction. Procurement for the Winton North and Bullyard projects is underway, with construction set to begin soon.
Catriona McLeod, Country Manager for Australia at European Energy, stated: “We’re proud to support Amazon’s renewable energy goals while contributing clean energy to the Australian grid through these projects.” The agreements reflect European Energy’s strategy to collaborate with organizations dedicated to sustainable energy transitions.
Amazon noted: “From 2020 to 2022, Amazon invested an estimated $467 million in renewable energy projects in Australia.” In 2024, it ranked as the third-largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the country. The company has invested in eight solar and wind projects across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria, and with the addition of European Energy’s solar farms, these 11 projects are expected to generate over 1.4 million MWh of renewable energy annually.
Jens-Peter Zink, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of European Energy, said: “Our Australian operations are just ramping up, and we are delighted to be able to already now deliver this scale of renewable energy to our partners there.” Australia is a key market for European Energy, with over 5 GW of projects under active development and 3 GW in screening, including major solar farms like the 1.1 GW Upper Calliope and 1 GW Sawpit in Queensland.
The partnership underscores the growing role of renewable energy in powering Australia’s data centers, which currently consume 5% of the national grid’s electricity, with projections estimating an increase to 8–15% by 2030.
