Data centre waste heat project to benefit 250K users

Microsoft is partnering with Fortum to capture the excess heat generated by a new data centre to heat homes, services and businesses in the Helsinki metropolitan area in Finland.

The agreement will see Microsoft building a data centre area, while Fortum will use the heat generated by the centre to distribute as district heat to approximately 250,000 users.

The data centres will use 100% emission-free electricity, and Fortum will transfer the clean heat from the server cooling process to premises that are connected to its district heating system. The waste heat recycling concept from the data centre region is thought to be the largest of its kind in the world.

The data centre region was chosen specifically with waste heat recycling in mind. It makes use of Fortum’s existing district heating infrastructure, the second largest in Finland, for heat capture and distribution.

The infrastructure includes about 900km of underground pipes that transfer heat to users in the cities of Espoo and Kauniainen and the municipality of Kirkkonummi. Fortum has collaborated with the cities and municipalities for several years in order to pave the way for these investments.

Once the new data centre region’s waste heat capture is in operation, a total of about 60 per cent of the area’s heating will be generated by climate-friendly waste heat. Of this, 40 per cent results from the data centre region, and the rest from other waste heat sources, such as purified waste water.

District heating is the most popular method of heating premises in Finland. A district heating system is infrastructure used in cities that generates and captures heat and distributes it to buildings on a large scale. Heat is transferred in hot water that is pumped through pre-insulated underground pipes. The new generation of district heating is based on replacing fossil fuels with smart and flexible solutions, such as renewable electricity, heat pumps and waste heat utilisation. Artificial intelligence will optimise the operations of the entire system.

“Developing solutions for the global climate challenge together with partners is a strategic priority for Fortum, and we are proud to embark on this exceptional journey together with Microsoft. Sometimes the most sustainable solutions are simple ones: By tapping into waste heat from data centres, we can provide clean heat for homes, businesses and public buildings in Espoo’s and the neighbouring communities’ district heating network in Finland, and reduce about 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. This is a significant step for a cleaner world, made possible by our joint ambition to mitigate climate change,” said Markus Rauramo, president and CEO of Fortum.