BUZZ - NiSource shares rise after reaching a long-term energy agreement with Microsoft

October 16 - ** Shares of U.S. utility company NiSource (NI.N) rose 2.8% in pre-market trading to $42.44

** The company has signed a new long-term energy agreement with Microsoft MSFT.O for its previously announced Northwest Indiana campus

** The agreement will increase the expected total savings for NIPSCO electricity customers to about $1.75 billion

** Under the agreement, Microsoft is expected to begin receiving 20 years of electricity service starting in 2028

** Through GenCo, NiSource is providing services to new large-load customers using a structure designed to protect existing NIPSCO electricity customers from additional costs

** GenCo's generation portfolio will add approximately 1,100 megawatts of installed capacity, and NIPSCO and GenCo will jointly provide the transmission and generation capacity needed to supply power to Microsoft's data centers and other customers

** In addition, according to documents disclosed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a subsidiary under NI has signed an agreement with a company under AGP Group to build a 600 MW, 2,400 MWh battery energy storage project connected to the MISO grid

** As of the previous trading day's close, the stock had fallen 1.2% year-to-date

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