T-Mobile isn’t the only telecom provider that’s betting big on wind power.

Several days after its magenta-hued rival announced a commitment to 100-percent renewable energy, AT&T announced two wind projects that will decrease the company’s carbon footprint. The company is purchasing a total of 520 megawatts (MW) of wind energy from NextEra Energy Resources subsidiaries, split between 220MW from the Minco V Wind Farm in Oklahoma and a 300MW wind farm in the Texas counties of Webb and Duval.

“Put into perspective, the carbon savings from these projects are equivalent to taking 350,595 vehicles off the road each year. And the power they will produce is enough to power over 250,000 homes annually,” blogged Joseph Taylor, vice president of Global Tech Optimization and Implementation at AT&T. “The wind farms will also feature over 200 wind turbines that use no water for power generation, and will allow the land to remain in agricultural use.”

Benefits extend beyond cleaner air, added Taylor. The projects are expected to create 450 construction jobs and generate $110 million in local tax revenues and over the first 30 years, he said. The projects also bring AT&T a step closer to achieving its goal of attaining carbon savings that are 10 times the footprint of its operations by 2025.

The move comes after John Legere, T-Mobile’s outspoken CEO, challenged AT&T and Verizon on Jan. 30 to match his company’s commitment to 100-percent renewable energy. T-Mobile will start by donating $500,000 to a clean energy non-profit, a figure that will double if one of its rivals makes the same pledge. If both AT&T and Verizon join in, T-Mobile will triple the amount to $1.5 million.

“We’re going to drag the other guys kicking and screaming into the clean power future… like we have with every other major change in wireless over the last five years,” Legere said.

Watch Legere’s challenge video below and get more information at the Hang Up on Fossil Fuels campaign page at Green America.

Image credit: AT&T