Microsoft And Eneco Partner To Drive Sustainable Business Transformations: Powering The Cloud With Clean Energy

On 22 May, Microsoft Corp. announced a new wind energy agreement in the Netherlands. Microsoft will purchase 90MW from the massive 731.5 MW offshore wind project, Borssele III/IV, from Dutch sustainable energy company and wind farm developer Eneco. Eneco will provide Microsoft’s datacenters with green power for 15 years starting 2022.

New partnership on offshore wind energy
This is Microsoft’s second purchase of wind energy in the Netherlands in a year, which brings its total wind energy purchases to 270MW in the Netherlands – one of the largest corporate renewable energy portfolio in the country. It is Microsoft’s 14th renewable energy PPA, bringing the portfolio to more than 1.5 gigawatts, in support of the operation of the company’s 54 Azure regions.

“Tech companies are facing the challenge to reduce their carbon footprint, mostly due to the vast energy consumption of their datacenters. A global frontrunner like Microsoft does not see this as a challenge, but as an opportunity to boost the energy transition. We are proud we can help them to switch to a sustainable, smart and clean energy supply in the Netherlands. As a result Microsoft is creating local opportunity, growth, and impact while enabling Eneco to continue to invest in large-scale renewable energy projects like Borssele III/IV”, says Hans Peters, Chief Customer Officer of Eneco.

“Eneco sets a great example of how we can use technology to accelerate clean energy growth locally, which is crucial to strengthen not only our own competitive advantage, but that of the Netherlands in a sustainable way. By joining forces, we are taking another step in driving the clean energy goals of the country and our global ambition of using technology to advance sustainability”, says Ernst-Jan Stigter, General Manager of Microsoft Netherlands.

Digital transformation and smart energy solutions
The power purchase agreement is a next step in the ongoing partnership between Eneco and Microsoft. In 2018 Eneco selected Microsoft as their preferred partner for cloud services, signing a 3-year deal with Microsoft Azure which enables Eneco to achieve the companies goals and ambitions in the area of digital transformation.