The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD today joined Microsoft as it announced new renewable energy contracts, which will see the company contribute close to 30% of Ireland’s corporate power purchase agreement target by 2030.
Microsoft entered into multi-year Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) with Power Capital Renewable Energy, Statkraft, and Energia, related to the development of more than 900 megawatts of onshore wind and solar energy projects across Ireland.
The new power purchase agreements will help support efforts to add additional clean energy capacity to the electricity grid. The Government’s Climate Action Plan includes a target of 15% of electricity demand to be delivered from renewable energy CPPAs by 2030. This equates to approximately 6 terawatts of additional electricity generation[1].
Microsoft’s procurement will contribute 28% of that target before the end of the decade. The company is seeking to make a material contribution to accelerating the country’s journey to a net-zero future.
In line with the company's global goal, Microsoft forecasts that it will cover 100% of its data centre electricity load by 2025 with renewable energy.
Noelle Walsh, Corporate Vice President, Cloud Operations and Innovation, Microsoft said: “At Microsoft, we’re committed to becoming carbon negative by 2030, working with Governments globally to accelerate the journey to a net-zero future.
“That’s why I’m delighted to announce today that Microsoft has signed 900MW of onshore wind and solar renewable energy power purchase agreements, which will enable Microsoft to achieve our 2025 sustainability goals and to contribute close to 30% of Ireland’s corporate power purchase target by 2030. With these agreements, we support new renewable energy infrastructure in Ireland.
“We’re proud to be partnering with leading energy providers to bring this additional renewable energy on stream and help Government and the broader energy sector to achieve its climate action ambitions.
“This announcement builds on our efforts to make our data centres more sustainable and foster new innovations to support the growth of renewables on the energy grid here in Ireland. As we continue to support the growing demand for Cloud across public and private sectors, Microsoft is committed to partnering with all stakeholders to help Ireland on its grid decarbonisation journey while unlocking the opportunities of a digital economy and society.”
Commenting on the announcement Power Capital Renewable Energy Co CEO Peter Duff, said: “As an indigenous Irish company we are delighted to be partnering with Microsoft on such a landmark agreement. Solar is now a proven force in Ireland and has become increasingly viable for businesses and homes. We see Solar PV having a significant positive impact on the targets in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. We very much look forward to playing an increasing role in the further decarbonisation of the grid here in Ireland.”
