Masdar, EDF to Develop Solar Plant to Power Khazna Data Centre

Emerge, a joint venture between Masdar, EDF, and Khazna Data Centres, the largest network of hyperscale data centres in the Middle East, have signed an agreement to develop a ground-mounted solar photovoltaic plant to power Khazna’s new data centre in Masdar City.

The plant, which has obtained Abu Dhabi’s Department of Energy Solar Photovoltaic (PV) self-regulating generation license, will have an installed capacity of 7-megawatt peak and will provide electricity to the Khazna Abu Dhabi 6 facility which is currently under construction in Masdar City.

Emerge will provide a full turnkey solution for the project, including finance, design, procurement, construction, operations, and maintenance, for 25 years.

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Hassan Alnaqbi, Chief Executive Officer of Khazna, said: “The increasing demand for data has been astounding. To successfully meet the growing reliance on data and the rise of IoT, data centres have had to rapidly expand their infrastructure.

"As a result, data centres have inevitably become some of the world’s main consumers of energy. At Khazna Data Centres, we recognise the impact that data centres have on the environment, and we are designing today’s data centres with sustainability at top of mind.”

Michel Abi Saab, General Manager, Emerge, said, “This agreement with Khazna Data Centres advances Abu Dhabi’s commitment to sustainability and high-tech industry, and extends Emerge’s range of offerings.

"By providing and managing a reliable source of clean energy, Emerge will enable Khazna to focus on providing high-quality data centre services to its clients within Masdar City and beyond.”

The solar PV plant will take the company’s Abu Dhabi portfolio, in operation and in delivery, to over 25 MWp. Emerge announced in July that it had signed an agreement to deploy rooftop solar systems at the SeaWorld Abu Dhabi theme park currently under construction on Yas Island.

The Masdar City facility, scheduled to be operational in 2023, is Khazna’s second data centre in the City. Khazna currently operates a number of hyperscale data centres across the UAE with plans to expand its network globally.

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