AMD announced a new agreement with the Austin Energy GreenChoice Program to purchase green energy derived from renewable resources that will power all AMD Austin operations for the next 10 years, including the new AMD Austin Campus which is expected to be operational in 2007. The new agreement makes AMD the largest private Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Power Partner in Texas, the fifth largest private Partner in the U.S. and 12th largest overall Partner in the nation. AMD was one of the first companies in Austin to purchase green power through the Austin Energy GreenChoice Program and has subscribed to all four batches of green energy offered since the program was launched in 2000.
“AMD’s long-term commitment to green energy is an important step forward in encouraging wide adoption of renewable energy sources,” said Kurt Johnson, director, EPA Green Power Partnership. “AMD is providing an outstanding example of environmental leadership.”
“AMD is proud to play a role in stimulating the adoption of green energy because AMD recognizes that the movement towards alternative energy sources today is critical to improving the livelihood and well-being of our communities,” said Craig Garcia, director of global corporate services, AMD. “The use of green energy is good for the environment and good for business. It helps AMD reduce overall energy costs because as the price of energy derived from traditional fossil fuels continues to increase, green power is purchased at a fixed rate over the life of the contract. According to Austin Energy, AMD’s purchase of green energy over the 10 year period is expected to eliminate the equivalent pollution created by 9,055 cars in Austin each year or the amount of energy needed to power 5,263 homes in Austin annually.”
Partnering with Austin Energy’s GreenChoice Program is one of many AMD initiatives aimed at protecting the environment both in Austin and around the world. In Austin, the use of 100 percent green power at the new AMD campus in Austin builds on plans to use green building techniques and materials to set a new standard for environmental development. The consolidation of multiple non-manufacturing offices spread throughout the city into a unified campus located in closer proximity to the majority of local employees will reduce traffic, minimize fuel consumption and improve air quality.
On a global scale, AMD has committed to reduce energy use by 30 percent, water use by 40 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by the end of 2007, normalized and relative to 2002 performance levels. In addition, AMD uses cogeneration facilities to supply nearly 100 percent of the energy required by Fab 30 and Fab 36 in Dresden, Germany, achieving 20 percent higher efficiency than conventional systems. These commitments are also reflected in AMD’s leadership in developing power-efficient, environmentally-conscious innovations such as Cool’n’Quiet technology. In 2005, Cool’n’Quiet technology received special ENERGY STAR recognition from the EPA for the advancement of energy-efficient computer technology.
Austin Energy’s GreenChoice program is recognized as the leading utility-sponsored green power program in the nation by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Austin Energy utilizes local wind power and landfill methane gas to provide clean energy, improving air quality by lowering power plant emissions and reducing reliance on non-replaceable fossil fuels. State of the art turbines at three West Texas wind farms harness the wind to supply pollution-free energy. Two landfills, one located just outside Austin and the other located near San Antonio, collect methane produced by decay to generate electricity.
