Microsoft announces ane of the largest wind deals in the netherlands with Vattenfall

| Microsoft News Eye

Microsoft will purchase 100 percent of the current of air energy generated by project in Wieringermeer Polder

AMSTERDAM — Nov. 2, 2017 — On Thursday, Microsoft Corp. announced its second European air current project in the Netherlands with Vattenfall, i of Europe's largest electricity and heat retail and producers. Microsoft volition purchase 100 percent of the wind energy generated from a repowered and expanded wind farm that is next to its local datacenter operations in the Netherlands. The 180-megawatt current of air farm will be constructed and operated by Nuon, function of Vattenfall in the Wieringermeer Polder, near Amsterdam.

Vattenfall volition begin structure of the expansion in 2018, and expects information technology to be operational effective 2019. Once completed, the Wieringermeer air current farm will be 1 of the largest onshore wind farms in the Netherlands, almost 3 times bigger than the Princess Alexia wind farm inaugurated in 2013.

"We are very glad and proud to be able to support Microsoft's transition toward using fossil-free free energy in its datacenter operations," said Magnus Hall, president and CEO of Vattenfall. "This bargain is completely in line with our strategy to help all our customers power their lives in ever smarter ways and free from fossil fuel within one generation."

This air current subcontract volition be located adjacent to Microsoft's Netherlands datacenter operations that serves as a regional hub to deliver Microsoft Deject services to customers beyond Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well equally global customers. With the latest expansion completed in 2015, the datacenter is a technologically avant-garde facility built to reduce water, power and energy utilise.

The proximity of the wind farm to Microsoft's datacenters in the Netherlands made it particularly attractive, as this will let the energy generated from these turbines to directly power the datacenter with local, clean wind free energy. Matching production and consumption of renewable free energy and so closely unlocks corking transmission efficiencies.

"Investing in local clean energy to power our local datacenter is a win-win for our business organisation and holland," said Brian Janous, general manager of energy at Microsoft. "Microsoft is committed to bringing new renewable energy sources online to ability our datacenters. By focusing on local projects, we're able to create new economical opportunities, reduce carbon emissions and make progress on our global commitment to increment the amount of clean energy used to power the Microsoft Deject."

This projection builds on the existing partnership between Vattenfall and Microsoft. Vattenfall relies on Microsoft Azure and other cloud-based tools to digitally transform its business operations, including renewable energy operations. Vattenfall is implementing avant-garde analytics powered by Azure with many new utilize cases, including new analytics for Vattenfall Current of air.

"There's a virtuous circumvolve in greening the deject enabled by this kind of deal," Janous said. "Our powerful cloud tools aid companies operate more finer and efficiently. In the instance of Vattenfall and other energy companies, this strengthens their business concern and creates new opportunities — and that means new opportunities for Microsoft to partner with them to buy new, clean free energy to power our cloud, which then powers our customers' deject services."

Nuon plans to expand the project to eventually include 100 windmills. That will allow the production of approximately 1.3 billion kWh of renewable electricity. Nuon has partnered with fundamental local actors, ECN and the Windcollectief Wieringermeer, to charter lands and operate these turbines. This additional generation capacity will not go available until 2020.

Nuon CEO Peter Smink commented, "We ability climate-smarter living and help datacenters use locally produced renewable free energy. This is not merely an of import investment in Dutch renewable free energy, simply too a new step in the greening of IT in holland."

The agreement will aid support the connected long-term growth of the Microsoft Cloud services delivered from kingdom of the netherlands, which is one of 42 Azure regions appear across the world, and is also ane of the first regions to offer the preview of Azure Availability Zones. It also builds on recent local investments in sustainability and free energy in the state. Earlier this year, Microsoft sponsored smart-energy startups at the Dutch accelerator Rockstart by providing collaboration and access to business concern evolution, information analytics and the Cyberspace of Things.

"This is Microsoft's 2nd wind energy projection in Europe, closely post-obit a new Irish wind farm appear nearly a month ago," said Christian Belady, full general manager, Microsoft Deject Infrastructure and Operations, Microsoft. "Once completed, this wind project volition bring Microsoft'due south total global direct procurement in renewable free energy projects to well-nigh 800 megawatts. With these wind projects, we're making considerable progress against the corporate clean free energy commitments nosotros prepare for ourselves in 2016."

About Nuon

Nuon, part of Vattenfall, generates and supplies electricity, free energy-related products and services, gas, heat and cooling. Nuon aims at a fossil-free supply of energy within one generation; clean, reliable and affordable. With its three,600 employees, Nuon services approximately 2 million private and business customers.

About Vattenfall

Vattenfall is a European energy company with approximately 20,000 employees. Together the company produce heat and electricity from the energy sources; wind, hydro, biomass, solar, nuclear, coal and gas. To continuously and reliably deliver energy to our order nosotros demand a variety of energy sources.

Near Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, deject-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to accomplish more than.

For more data, press only:

Microsoft Media Relations, We Communications for Microsoft, (425) 638-7777,

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Nuon-Vattenfall Media Relations, +46 8 739 50 x, [email protected]

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