US renewable energy developer National Grid Renewables has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Microsoft for its Portage Solar Project.
Portage Solar is a 250MW solar project in development in Portage County, Wisconsin, on 2,167 acres of primarily agricultural land.
In addition to the solar array, the project will include the construction of a new on-site substation, an operations and maintenance building, and a battery energy storage system with a proposed capacity of up to 137.5MW/550MWh.
Portage Solar received approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in April 2023. Construction is expected to commence in 2025, and the project is slated for operation in 2027.
As part of the agreement, Microsoft has committed an additional $20 million to a community fund over the contract's term.
Commenting on the deal, Blake Nixon, president of National Grid Renewables, stated: "Through our contract with Microsoft, we are providing Wisconsin residents direct and indirect revenue streams from Portage Solar."
The PPA follows Microsoft's signing of a 20-year PPA with Constellation Energy to acquire 100 percent of a revived Three Mile Island nuclear power plant to fuel its AI data center ambitions.
Should regulators approve the project, owner Constellation hopes to open the 837MW Pennsylvania facility in 2028.
