Bulk Data Centers has announced a number of expansion projects across its data centre sites in Norway, with investment focused on providing scalable sites powered by renewable energy.
Bulk has installed an on-site substation at its NO1 facility, which delivers 125 MVA of dual connections to the adjacent Kristiansand substation. Generation comes from nearby hydroelectric power plants and provides 100 MW of power, with opportunities to scale in the future.
The power upgrade is the first part of a wider scheme that will eventually see the N01 campus connect to 1GW of power, the company said in a statement.
Bulk has also commenced construction on its second data centre at the NO1 campus, offering an additional 10 MW of IT capacity. The construction of an additional 40 MW data centre is planned at the site for 2023.
In addition to this, Bulk has completed the construction of a further 1.5 MW of whitespace at its Oslo facility, OS-IX, which earlier this year announced it will be home to DE-CIX (Internet Exchange).
The development plans are part of Bulk Data Centers’ work to establish a sustainable industrial cluster around N01 and OS-IX by utilising the excess heat. The project at OS-IX connects to an adjacent business, and at N01, heat reuse will be used for a range of local companies, including an Industrial Real Estate business.
Rob Elder, Vice President Data Centers says: “Whilst demand for digital services and data centres are increasing, Europe is in the midst of an energy crisis that encompasses price, power security and scalability. The growth of digitalisation often appears at odds in the current climate, to both reduce demand on the grid and reduce carbon emissions of data centres.
“Customers cannot wait years and with these projects we continue to demonstrate how Bulk is leading the way in investing in sustainable solutions, which offer customers high connected scalable options at much lower costs to Europe and with almost unlimited scale.”
Gisle M.Eckhoff, Executive Vice President at Bulk Data Centers, added, “While our data centres are powered by renewable energy, we still have a responsibility to ensure that energy is utilised as efficiently as possible, including solutions for re-use of heat from the cooling systems. At N01 we have established a circular economy campus, where the heat will be re-used to heat green houses for vegetables and plants as well as for drying firewood. Our customers care for the environment and appreciate that Bulk is ahead in the field of sustainable data centre operations.”
