Ares Management Corporation's (NYSE: ARES) Infrastructure and Power strategy and Apex Clean Energy announced that Aviator Wind East, an approximately 200 MW portion of the 525 MW Aviator Wind project located in Coke County, Texas, has executed a renewable power purchase agreement with Facebook. Aviator Wind will be the largest single-phase wind project in ERCOT and the largest single-phase, single-site wind project in the United States.

Aviator Wind, developed by Apex and owned by funds managed by Ares Infrastructure and Power, demonstrates the significance of corporate leadership in facilitating clean energy solutions at scale.

"We are excited to partner with Facebook to help it achieve its long-term renewable energy goal," said Keith Derman, Co-Head of Ares Infrastructure and Power. "Corporate leadership is driving the energy transition and this project fits perfectly with our value-add strategy of investing in clean energy projects."

"As part of our goal to support 100% of our operations with renewable energy, we want to help drive the energy transition and increase access to wind and solar power around the world," said Urvi Parekh, renewable energy manager at Facebook. "This project will be an important part of successfully reaching our targets, and we are thrilled to have the support of Ares Infrastructure and Power and Apex Clean Energy to bring this new wind energy online."

Aviator Wind East, which will be operational in 2020, will help support Facebook's operations in the region. The contract will help the tech company-the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in 2018-reach its goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 75% and support 100% of its operations with renewable energy in 2020. Facebook's portion of the Aviator Wind project will be 199.76 MW.

"The ambitious sustainability goals of corporate leaders like Facebook will play a key role in accelerating the transition to renewable energy-faster than ever anticipated-in the years to come," said Mark Goodwin, President and CEO of Apex Clean Energy. "With this power purchase agreement, Facebook continues to make strides toward achieving its renewable energy goals, driving meaningful progress within the industry, and paving a path for other corporations to do the same."

Aviator Wind is Ares Infrastructure and Power's eleventh wind investment, which collectively represent 4 GW of power generation, and is a continuation of Apex's strong partnership with Ares Infrastructure and Power. Apex Clean Energy will provide both construction and asset management services for the project.

An additional unnamed corporate power purchase agreement for the majority of the balance of Aviator Wind, known as Aviator Wind West, will be announced at a later date.

Apex Clean Energy | apexcleanenergy.com

Ares Management | www.aresmgmt.com