Africa Data Centres, a leading provider of interconnected, carrier-neutral data centers in Africa, has announced a significant step towards sustainable operations with its partnership with DPA Southern Africa, a joint venture of the French utility EDF, to build a solar farm in South Africa’s Free State province.
This initiative aligns with a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed earlier this year. The solar farm will generate clean, renewable energy to power Africa Data Centres’ facilities, with the first beneficiary being its CPT1 data center in Cape Town. The CPT1 facility offers 1,800 square meters of secured rack space and boasts a power capacity of 5.5 MW.
Tesh Durvasula, CEO of Africa Data Centres, emphasized the company’s commitment to powering all its data centers with clean, renewable energy sources. The initial phase involves building a 12MW solar infrastructure to supply power to the Cape Town data center, with subsequent phases extending to Johannesburg data centers.
Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies, expressed enthusiasm about this initiative, highlighting how the strategic adoption of solar power underscores technology’s potential in addressing energy demands while promoting environmental sustainability. “This initiative positions Africa Data Centres as a trailblazer in the data center industry in responding to South Africa’s energy crisis through sustainable technology solutions”, he stated.
Nawfal El Fadil, CEO of DPA SA, praised Africa Data Centres’ dedication to sustainability and expressed excitement about contributing to their carbon neutrality mission. “We are thrilled and honoured to contribute to Africa Data Centres’ mission of achieving carbon neutrality, beginning with the establishment of this solar power plant in the Free State to serve their data center in Cape Town,” he concluded.
Africa Data Centres’ commitment to sustainability goes beyond renewable energy generation. The company holds ISO50001 certification for efficient data center operations, further minimizing their environmental impact. By striving for net-zero emissions, Africa Data Centres aims to reduce strain on local power grids while promoting a greener future for the data center industry in South Africa and beyond.
