PolanenPark and CyrusOne , a premier global data centre REIT , have announced the signing of a unique Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) to jointly examine the economic and technical feasibility of a heat re-use project in the region .

The MoU follows successful collaboration among the three stakeholders over the last 12 months . It is expected to result in the successful capture of residual heat from CyrusOne ’ s Amsterdam I data centre ’ s water cooling process , which will feed into a new district heating network to heat 15,000 homes in the municipality . If the plan proves feasible , a new agreement to start development will be signed in the first quarter of 2021 , with CyrusOne ’ s Amsterdam I data centre expected to provide the very first source of heat .

This MoU was made possible by the alignment and agreement among the data centre operator , the landowner and local government . The partnership marries the Municipality of Haarlem ’ s pledge to become natural gas free by 2040 with CyrusOne ’ s stated commitment to be a strategic partner for sustainability .

“ It is crucial that we build data centres that work in a way that is compatible with a sustainable future . The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified demand for data centre capacity , as consumers become more reliant on digital tools for remote working , learning and entertainment ,” said Matt Pullen , EVP and Managing Director , Europe , CyrusOne . “ The signing of this MoU is a hugely significant progression for the data centre industry , and we hope this is the first of many instances in which local government bodies and land owners , such as the Municipality of Haarlem and SADC ’ s PolanenPark , demonstrate commitment to work together with CyrusOne on similar sustainable projects .”

“ The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area applies very strict sustainability conditions for the development of data centres ,” said Arnoud van der Wijk , Project Director , PolanenPark . “ PolanenPark and Schiphol Trade Park in Hoofddorp , both developments of SADC , are two of the very few locations in the region that meet these conditions . The use of residual heat is one of the important pillars of both concepts of the so-called Green Data Centre Campus . For PolanenPark , I ’ m proud that we ’ re doing this together : using a pipeline to take the waste heat

to the homes of Meerwijk and thereby making a great contribution to the energy transition . This project is unique for the Netherlands and far beyond .”

“ Haarlem is committed to becoming natural gas free by 2040 ,” said Robbert Berkhout , Alderman of the Municipality of Haarlem . “ This means that the municipality must look for alternatives for heating homes and businesses . With the research into the use of residual heat , Haarlem is taking an important step in the development of a heat network in the district .” ◊

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