RWE Signs 433 MW Wind Power Purchase Agreement With Oracle to Supply Texas Data Centers
RWE and Oracle signed a 433 MW virtual power purchase agreement on September 17, 2026, sourcing wind power from three West Texas farms for data centers.
Photo by K ZHAO on Pexels
RWE announced a 433-megawatt virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Oracle on September 17, 2026, under which Oracle will buy electricity attributes from three existing RWE wind farms in West Texas to support its data center operations in the state. The wind power purchase agreement for Texas draws power from RWE’s Panther Creek I, II and III wind farms, located in Sterling, Howard and Glasscock counties.
The deal is part of a larger set of power agreements Oracle has signed to support its Texas operations. RWE said its VPPA is part of a broader portfolio of Oracle power investments that collectively represent more than 1.7 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generation capacity supporting the Texas grid, a figure Data Center Dynamics separately reported as 1.7 GW of wind energy supply agreements tied to Oracle’s Texas data center expansion.
Repowered wind farms and a multi-decade tax revenue estimate
Panther Creek I and II were repowered in the third quarter of 2019, and Panther Creek III was repowered in 2021, meaning the turbines supplying Oracle’s agreement are established assets rather than new construction. RWE said that across their lifetime, the three projects are expected to generate more than $70 million in property tax revenues for Sterling, Howard and Glasscock counties, funds the company said support local schools, roads and emergency services.
| Project detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| VPPA capacity | 433 MW |
| Wind farms supplying power | Panther Creek I, II, III (West Texas) |
| Oracle’s total related Texas power agreements | More than 1.7 GW |
| Lifetime county property tax revenue estimate | More than $70 million |
Source: RWE press release, September 17, 2026.
A virtual power purchase agreement does not involve Oracle taking physical delivery of electricity from the named wind farms. Instead, Oracle contracts for the financial attributes of the power generated, a structure large electricity buyers commonly use to support renewable generation on a grid while sourcing their actual electricity supply through separate utility or retail arrangements.
Oracle ties deal to 2035 carbon-free electricity target
Julia Robin, head of infrastructure planning and sourcing for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, said the agreement advances “our goal of matching 100 percent of our AI data center electricity use with carbon-free electricity by 2035 while supporting a more reliable, resilient, and affordable energy system for the State of Texas.” Ingmar Ritzenhofen, chief commercial officer of RWE Americas, said the deal shows how RWE “supports large energy users in taking an active role in meeting their energy needs while supporting a reliable, affordable and resilient power system.”
The agreement adds to a wave of corporate clean-power contracts tied to AI data center growth. Winss Solutions has covered how Google and Cypress Creek broke ground on the Steel River Energy Center, a 2.5 GW Arkansas solar and storage project, and how Fervo Energy signed a 396 MW enhanced geothermal power deal with Google for a Utah data center. Both cases, like the RWE-Oracle agreement, pair a specific power generation asset with a named technology company’s data center electricity demand. Winss Solutions has also reported on how agrivoltaics could power AI data centers while raising crop yields, part of a broader push to match rising data center electricity demand with new or existing renewable capacity.
Background
RWE is a German multinational energy company with a large US renewables portfolio operated through RWE Americas, LLC, and has developed, built and operated wind, solar and battery storage projects across the country for nearly two decades, according to the company. The Panther Creek wind farms in West Texas were originally developed years earlier and repowered with updated turbine technology in 2019 and 2021 to extend their operating life and output. RWE has continued to expand its US onshore wind and storage business through 2026, including a separate September 18, 2026 announcement that it secured 119 MW of onshore wind capacity in a German auction, reflecting parallel growth in both its European and American wind portfolios. The Oracle agreement extends RWE’s US commercial strategy of pairing established wind assets with corporate buyers seeking carbon-free electricity for data center growth.
Sources: RWE; Data Center Dynamics; REGlobal
Featured image: photo by K ZHAO on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
