Uniper to Supply Renewable Power to nLighten Data Centers

Uniper SE has won an electricity supply contract from nLighten HQ BV covering all the latter’s data center sites across Germany.

“Under the agreement, Uniper is to supply both standard power for nLighten’s German locations and a guaranteed base load supply of hydroelectric power, ensuring a constant CO2-free energy supply with exceptional traceability on an hourly basis”, said a joint statement Tuesday. The companies did not disclose the volume or duration of the contract, which involves an around-the-clock power supply.

Munich-based TÜV Süd AG will provide certification for the renewable power for origin verifiability on an hourly basis, the statement said.

“Instead of relying on annual renewable energy certificates, nLighten can now track the specific hydropower production that supports its operations on an hourly basis”, the companies said.

“The flexible structure allows it to add additional renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind or solar when demand increases in its German portfolio, with everything handled through Uniper as the balancing party”.

“[C]onventional renewable energy certificates issued annually may claim to be ‘100 percent renewable’ but data centers often continue to purchase carbon-intensive electricity during peak times”, the statement noted. “Uniper’s 24/7 solution closes this gap: companies can prove that their digital infrastructure is powered by verified carbon-free energy hour by hour, which is verified for our German operations by third-party certification”.

German power and gas utility Uniper says it has 14 gigawatts of flexible power generation capacity. Schiphol-Rijk, Netherlands-based nLighten, meanwhile, has projects across Europe.

Last week Uniper and TenneT BV announced an agreement to develop a new central network node in Großkrotzenburg, Germany to serve data center-driven growth in power demand in the greater Frankfurt area.

“The core of the project is the construction of a new 380-kilovolt switchyard, which will create extensive additional capacity for urgently needed customer connections in the Rhine-Main area”, said a joint statement January 22. “The connection of new and existing extra-high-voltage lines will further strengthen electricity transmission to the Frankfurt metropolitan area and neighboring regions, particularly Lower Franconia.

“At the same time, the new grid infrastructure will form the basis for connecting important Uniper transformation projects at the Staudinger site. Plans include a hydrogen-ready combined cycle gas turbine plant as part of the German government’s expected tender for flexible generation capacities, as well as the prospective establishment of battery storage facilities and data centers”.

The station is scheduled to start service by 2030, the companies said.

Last year Uniper penned an agreement with Microsoft Corp on joint efforts to boost the adoption of artificial intelligence in the energy industry. As part of their new partnership the companies will build an AI lab at Uniper’s headquarters in Düsseldorf.

“The collaboration between Microsoft and Uniper focuses on identifying, evaluating and implementing specific use cases”, Uniper said in a press release June 2, 2025.

“A key focus is the further development of the company-wide AI and data strategy, integrating data from different sources and ensuring high data quality”, Uniper said.

“Uniper will contribute its extensive expertise in the energy sector to the strategic partnership, ensuring that the solutions are tailored to the specific needs and challenges of the energy industry. Microsoft will bring its experience with cross-industry technology solutions and the latest developments in AI”.

“Uniper and Microsoft have been successfully collaborating for several years to drive digital transformation. Over the past eight years, Uniper has been a pioneer in replacing old data centers and implementing a cloud-first strategy”, Uniper said.

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