Sustainable Nordic data centre operator, AtNorth has entered into a power purchasing agreement (PPA) with Landsvirkjun, Iceland's national power company. Under the contract, Landsvirkjun will be the exclusive electricity supplier for atNorth's newly constructed third data centre in Akureyri. The PPA, which came into effect on June 1st, will remain valid for five years and provide atNorth with a firm capacity of up to 5 MW.
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Power Partnership for Sustainable Data Centre Operations
In addition to the firm capacity agreement, the two companies have also established a separate two-year controllable load PPA. With this arrangement, atNorth will have the option to purchase up to 10 MW of electricity. However, according to the statement, the purchases under this PPA will gradually decrease over time as a larger PPA for firm capacity takes precedence.
This collaboration between Landsvirkjun and atNorth builds upon their longstanding relationship. Landsvirkjun says atNorth has been their customer for many years, operating data centres in Hafnarfjorour and Reykjanesaer.
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Expansion and Growth Prospects in Akureyri
The construction of the new data centre in Akureyri began in the middle of 2022 and was officially inaugurated on June 9th, 2023. The facility, housed in a spacious 2,500 square meters building, offers the potential for future expansion to accommodate growing needs.
Unique Advantage of Iceland
One of the advantages of locating data centres in Iceland is the natural cooling effect offered by the country's weather conditions. The cool climate reduces the need for energy-intensive cooling systems, resulting in cost savings and improved energy efficiency for data centre operations.
Also Read: atNorth to Build a New 15MW Data Centre Campus in Helsinki
The power purchasing agreement between Landsvirkjun and atNorth marks a significant milestone in Iceland's data centre industry. As the demand for data storage and computing services continues to surge, partnerships between power companies and data centre operators play a crucial role in ensuring a reliable and sustainable energy supply for the digital infrastructure that drives the modern world.
