Keppel Launches Greenfield Data Centre

 

Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Ltd (Keppel T&T) officially opened its Almere Data Centre 2 today, its first greenfield data centre in Europe*.

The opening of the facility was attended by Guest-of-Honour Prof. Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Partner, Corporate Responsibility at EY. Also in attendance were Mr John Neary, Ambassador of Ireland to the Netherlands, Mr Ethan Chua, Deputy Chief of Mission & Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Mark Pol, Vice Mayor of the City of Almere for Finance, Economic Affairs and Municipal Real Estate and Mr Alexander Van Der Hooft, EVP Operations Business Market at KPN.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Thomas Pang, CEO of Keppel T&T said, "More companies are increasingly harnessing big data and incorporating cloud into their strategy. Along with this comes the demand for trusted and proven data centre providers. With more than a decade of experience in developing high-quality data centres, Keppel's strong track record has enabled us to successfully double our data centre footprint in the Netherlands with Almere Data Centre 2."

Amsterdam is a first-tier data centre market in Europe with strong demand, due to its proximity to major European trading hubs, excellent telecommunications infrastructure and government support. Data centre utilisation rates in Amsterdam are predicted by BroadGroup research to surpass 90% by 2018.

Mr Pang added, "As we grow our presence in Europe, we seek to do so sustainably. Across Europe and Asia-Pacific, Keppel T&T's best-in-class colocation data centres feature environmentally conscious designs that maximise energy efficiency while meeting stringent customer requirements."

Almere Data Centre 2 features energy efficient features such as a chilled-water cooling system that utilises free ambient air during colder months, in addition to Dynamic Rotary Uninterruptible Power Systems (DRUPs) that replace traditional battery-run uninterruptible power systems and reduce chemical waste. As a member of the Dutch Datacenter Association, the data centre also includes energy efficient technology and power usage effectiveness that is in line with the association's commitment to energy efficient data centres.

Keppel continually seeks ways to improve energy efficiency in the data centres it operates. Towards this goal, it plans to work with the local municipality to integrate the existing data centres and potential future developments into an Almere Data Centre Campus that draws on nearby green energy from Flevoland Wind Valley, uses water for cooling from Hoge Vaart canal and recycles waste heat for a secondary district heating network.

Almere Data Centre 2 is strategically located next to Almere Data Centre 1, Keppel's existing data centre in the Netherlands. The new facility is a high quality colocation data centre with lettable area of approximately 118,000 sq ft and fitted out to Tier III standards that ensure service availability of up to 99.98%. It features full redundancy for power and cooling, and is designed to deliver power density of more than 1.5 kW per square metre to customers with the opportunity to scale up to 2.0 kW per square metre. Mercury Cloud Cover was the main contractor for the project.

Earlier this week, Keppel DC REIT Management Pte. Ltd., as Manager of Keppel DC REIT, separately announced the expansion of its data centre footprint to Germany with a forward sale and purchase to acquire main Cubes Data Centre in Offenbach am Main near Frankfurt. The data centre will be fitted out to Tier III specifications and is expected to be completed in 2018.


* Almere Data Centre 2 is wholly owned by Keppel Data Centres Holding Pte Ltd, a joint venture between Keppel T&T and Keppel Land Limited, the property development arm of Keppel Corporation Limited.