Under Energia deal Microsoft will add more than 900 MW of wind and solar energy to Ireland’s electricity grid and says its data centres in Ireland will be supported by 100% renewable energy by 2025.
Energia has signed a major deal with Microsoft to provide new wind and solar energy under a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA).
Energia Group’s agreement with Microsoft will see the Irish energy company construct a number of new onshore wind farms and solar power projects that will supply renewable electricity to the grid to be purchased by Microsoft for their activities in Ireland.
“Today’s announcement with Microsoft highlights the value of collaboration in bringing about collective benefit for society, enterprise and the economy”
Through its overall CPPA commitments, Microsoft said it will add more than 900 MW of wind and solar energy to Ireland’s electricity grid and that its data centres in Ireland will be supported by 100% renewable energy by 2025.
“As an Irish energy company with a proven history of delivering new renewable energy projects and for providing innovative solutions for our customers, today’s announcement with Microsoft highlights the value of collaboration in bringing about collective benefit for society, enterprise and the economy,” said Energia CEO Ian Thom.
“Energia Group has set clear targets to promote Ireland’s energy transition and to facilitate the achievement of the Government’s 2030 targets that will be realised through our pipeline of almost 3,000 MW of new renewable projects across a range of technologies, including offshore wind, onshore wind and solar. This agreement represents another step towards the achievement of these targets.”
As a leading energy provider and infrastructure investor Energia Group already supplies approximately 21% of the island of Ireland’s total electricity requirements and is responsible for approximately 25% of existing wind power capacity installed on the island.
“At Microsoft, we’re committed to becoming carbon negative by 2030, working with governments globally to accelerate the journey to a net-zero future,” said Noelle Walsh, corporate vice-president of Cloud Operations and Innovation at Microsoft.
“We’re proud to be partnering with Energia Group to bring this additional renewable energy on stream and help Government and the broader energy sector to achieve its climate action ambitions.”
Aligned with the Irish Government’s energy and climate ambition, Energia Group has set clear targets to halve the carbon intensity of its electricity generation and increase by a factor of three the volume of renewable electricity the Group generates on the island of Ireland by 2030.
This major investment in new renewable electricity projects, including offshore wind, onshore wind and solar, is supported under the Group’s ‘Positive Energy’ programme and will play an important role in the achievement of Ireland’s renewable electricity and wider decarbonisation goals for 2030.
Energia Group is currently progressing a pipeline of almost 3,000 MW of new renewable energy projects across the island of Ireland.
