Green Mountain, in partnership with German power company KMW, has begun construction of a new data centre campus in Mainz, just outside Frankfurt.

The first 18 MW building of the campus, which will provide 54 MW of potential capacity, is set to be completed in the first quarter of 2025. Three data centre buildings are planned in total at the new 25,000 sqm site, which s situated in an existing industrial area adjacent to KMW’s power plants.

The power supply to the campus will be sourced from renewable energy, with the site set to be cooled by the adjacent Rhine River. Up to 60 MW of waste heat will be fed into the Mainz district heating system to supply the local area with renewable district heating.

The KMW gas plant will also supply the back-up power, making diesel generators for emergency power redundant.

The site will be powered by 100% renewable energy, with gas turbine generators providing the backup power. The data center will be efficiently and sustainably cooled by the river Rhine and the waste heat produced will be fed directly into the existing district heating network of the city of Mainz.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Minister for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy and Mobility, Katrin Eder, who was at a ceremony marking the start of construction, said, “The green data centre from KMW and Green Mountain is a lighthouse project for Rhineland-Palatinate that not only underlines the regional importance, but also paves the way for sustainable digitalization and economic development.

“It shows that we can also achieve our environmental goals through partnership-based collaboration and technical innovations.”

CEO of KMW Oliver Malerius, added, “This data centre, founded on a groundbreaking partnership with Green Mountain, is a symbol of technical excellence and sustainability. It shows how innovation and environmental protection can go hand in hand, and it fills us with pride, to help shape a green digital future.”