Microsoft announces wind project in Netherlands with Vattenfall

Microsoft

US-based software company Microsoft announced its second European wind project in the Netherlands with Vattenfall.

Nuon, part of Vattenfall in the Wieringermeer Polder, near Amsterdam, will construct and operate the 180-megawatt wind farm.

Vattenfall will start construction of the expansion in 2018. The project will be operational in 2019. The Wieringermeer wind farm will be one of the largest onshore wind farms in the Netherlands, almost three times bigger than the Princess Alexia wind farm inaugurated in 2013.

Microsoft will purchase 100 percent of the wind energy generated from a repowered and expanded wind farm that is adjacent to its local datacenter operations in the Netherlands.

“This deal 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,” said Magnus Hall, president and CEO of Vattenfall.

This wind farm will be located adjacent to Microsoft’s Netherlands datacenter operations that serve as a regional hub to deliver Microsoft Cloud services to customers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as global customers.

The proximity of the wind farm to Microsoft’s datacenters in the Netherlands will allow the energy generated from these turbines to directly power the datacenter with local, clean wind energy.

Brian Janous, general manager of energy at Microsoft, said: “Microsoft is committed to bringing new renewable energy sources online to power our datacenters.”

Vattenfall relies on Microsoft Azure and other cloud-based tools to digitally transform its business operations, including renewable energy operations. Vattenfall is implementing advanced analytics powered by Azure with many new use cases, including new analytics for Vattenfall Wind.

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 key local actors, ECN and the Windcollectief Wieringermeer, to lease lands and operate these turbines.

Christian Belady, general manager, Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure and Operations, Microsoft, this wind project will bring Microsoft’s total global direct procurement in renewable energy projects to almost 800 megawatts.