SOUTH AFRICA – Africa Data Centres (ADC), a business of Cassava Technologies Limited, in collaboration with DPA Southern Africa, has broken ground on a solar farm in the Free State, Cape Town in South Africa.
The first phase will see power getting wheeled to its CPT1 facility while the second phase will see power being supplied to JHB1 and JHB2 once wheeling agreements with relevant municipalities conclude.
DPA Southern Africa is a 50:50 joint company of Distributed Power Africa and French utility company, EDF and the two companies intend to develop hybrid energy solutions for clients across Africa.
This announcement forms a crucial component of the 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) inked in March 2023 with DPA Southern Africa a joint company of the French utility, EDF.
The objective of the Free State farm is to furnish renewable energy to Africa Data Centres sites, commencing with its cutting-edge, carrier-neutral data center in Cape Town, the CPT1 facility.
According to Cassava Technologies’ President and Group CEO, Hardy Pemhiwa, 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.
”This is in line with a broader industry shift towards innovative, eco-friendly practices. The strategic use of solar power showcases technology’s role in pioneering solutions for energy challenges and environmental sustainability,” he said.
Tesh Durvasula, CEO of Africa Data Centres, added that the announcement represented a significant stride in their initiative to energize South African data centres sustainably while advancing its objective of achieving carbon neutrality.
“The first phase involves constructing the 12MW solar infrastructure to power our Cape Town data centre, with subsequent phases extending to our Johannesburg data centres,” he added.
This project is a key element of Africa Data Centres’ ambitious plans to emerge as the most sustainable colocation provider on the continent.
“Beyond procuring renewable energy, our commitment to an efficiency strategy has earned us the internationally recognised ISO50001 certification for the effective operation of our data centres,” Durvasula said.
“Data centres worldwide face scrutiny for their reliance on grid power and renewables, and Africa is no exception. Africa Data Centres is actively addressing this issue by generating renewable energy, alleviating strain on the local grid.
Additionally, our sustainability objectives encompass achieving net-zero status at all facilities, making this project another significant stride towards reaching that goal.”
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