Microsoft has invested in renewable energy in the past, with the tech giant signing a 15-year deal with General Electric on a wind project in 2017. The same year, Microsoft and Vattenfall also signed an agreement for the Wieringermeer windpark in Netherlands.
Now, the Redmond giant is looking to expand upon its renewable energy portfolio in the country, with the announcement of a new wind energy agreement with sustainable energy company Eneco. As part of this deal, Microsoft will be purchasing 90 MW of energy from a 731.5 MW offshore wind project, Borssele III/IV - which is owned by the Blauwwind consortium in which Eneco shares a 10% stake. The Eneco Group also holds a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) from the Consortium, under which it is obligated to buy 50% of the power being generated by the aforementioned wind farms.
Brian Janous, General Manager, Energy and Sustainability, Microsoft, commented on the partnership, noting:
"Our purchasing of renewable energy helps improve the sustainability of our operations and local grids. his agreement is our 14th renewable energy power purchase agreement and brings our total clean energy portfolio to more than 1.5 GW. The electricity generated will help support the continued long-term growth of Microsoft cloud services delivered from the Netherlands, which is one of 54 Azure regions announced and part of one of the largest and most innovative cloud infrastructures in the world."
Hans Peters, Eneco"s Chief Customer Officer, also expressed the company"s pride at helping a "global frontrunner" switch to green power in the Netherlands. He also stated that aside from enabling it to invest in projects like Borssele III/IV, Microsoft will also help create increased local opportunity in the country.
This purchase will bring Microsoft"s total wind energy purchases in the Netherlands up to 270 MW, and will lead to the company"s datacenters being provided with clean energy from Eneco for a period of 15 years, starting in 2022.