Apex Clean Energy and Google have signed a power purchase agreement for the full capacity of the 79.3 MW Rocky Forge Wind project, marking a significant milestone as Virginia’s first onshore wind farm.
This agreement, the second collaboration between Apex and Google following their partnership on Timbermill Wind in North Carolina, will support Google’s data centres in Virginia. The initiative aligns with Google’s ambitious 2030 sustainability goal to achieve net-zero emissions and operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy.
“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. Google—alongside many key stakeholders over the years—enabled this milestone, demonstrating the power of partnership in accelerating the shift to clean energy,” said Eamon Perrel, Apex executive vice president of business development.
As one of the few wind farms in the PJM market, Rocky Forge offers a strategic advantage in supporting data centre decarbonisation. Wind energy’s strong generation during nighttime and winter complements solar production, creating a balanced clean energy mix.
“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. The Rocky Forge Wind project builds on our strong collaboration with Apex Clean Energy to both support decarbonising our operations in Virginia and the broader PJM grid system,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Google head of data centre energy.
Located in Botetourt County, Virginia, Rocky Forge is expected to drive substantial economic benefits for the region. The project will generate up to 250 jobs during construction and contribute approximately $30 million in state and local tax revenue over its operational lifetime. Utilising GE wind turbines, the wind farm is slated to begin commercial operations in 2026.
