Total and Microsoft have agreed to collaborate as strategic partners to support progress toward net zero emissions.
The partnership has several strands and the two companies said they will “explore and co-innovate” on areas that include “sustainability and further digital transformation to accelerate the transition to a net zero economy”, through deployment of low carbon and carbon removal technologies, for example.
Microsoft has made a public commitment to use 100% renewable energy by 2025, while Total’s ambition is to reach 35GW of renewable electrical capacity in 2025 and then nearly 100GW in 2030.
Total will assist Microsoft to secure renewable energy through power purchase agreements (PPAs).
A first PPA of 47MW has been agreed for Microsoft’s Spanish operations.
As part of its sustainability objectives, Microsoft aims to eliminate its dependency on diesel fuel by 2030.
Total, through its affiliate Saft, will support Microsoft in its development of a long-term roadmap to diesel-free operations.
Microsoft will assess the suitability of various Total technologies for its portfolio of onsite backup energy assets.
These include diesel genset displacement.
Microsoft said it sees large-scale batteries as a key component on its path to eliminate dependency on diesel fuel, which is used in generators to provide backup power for data centres.
Microsoft and Total established a partnership to assess the long-term feasibility of deploying large batteries as backup power for critical infrastructure.
This assessment is being carried out with the help of Saft.
Total chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanne said: “The rapid development of Total and Microsoft in their areas of expertise brings many opportunities of cooperation for both companies, who are at the forefront of the fight against climate change.
“We are committed to bringing our expertise by selling green electricity to support Microsoft in achieving its sustainability goals, and we’re pleased to rely on Microsoft’s cloud and AI solutions to accelerate our digital transformation.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said: “We have an enormous opportunity to use advances in digital technology to reduce greenhouse emissions.
“Our strategic partnership with Total will apply the comprehensive power of Microsoft cloud platforms to accelerate Total’s transition to new energies and to meet sustainability goals.”