Rack Centre, a leading carrier-neutral Tier III data centre in West Africa, has become one of the first International Finance Corporation (IFC) EDGE certified data centres in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group, and is also the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. EDGE certification is one of the IFC’s many innovations, which makes it easier to certify resource-efficient and Zero Carbon buildings.
This prestigious green building certification recognises Rack Centre’s added design features for sustainability, which are set to support the facility’s expansion of its IT load from 1.5MW to 13MW.
Once Rack Centre’s expansion is complete, the data centre’s projected savings in energy and water use are forecast to achieve 35% energy savings, which are estimated to avoid carbon emissions totalling approximately 100 tonnes each year.
Prioritising Sustainability with Green Design Philosophies
Rack Centre is an Actis majority owned data centre. In 2020, global investment firm Actis first partnered with Rack Centre as part of its $250 million African data centre platform investment. In a press statement released by Actis, the company noted that since partnering with Rack Centre, Actis has sought to balance rapid growth for data storage demand with concerns over environmental impact and operating costs.
To do so, Actis says that it has “spearheaded a programme of green design philosophies and initiatives that will result in the data centre achieving 35% energy savings, 41% water savings, and deliver a 45% saving in embodied energy in materials used.”
Rack Centre is set to achieve these savings by adhering to green design principles, switching from diesel to gas power generation, implementing water efficient cooling systems, implementing a low energy air circulation system, and sourcing local materials and services. Actis notes that switching Rack Centre’s power source from diesel to gas power will not only save more than $10 million a year in operating costs, it will also reduce carbon intensity and improve air quality.
Actis has a long track record of operating green certified buildings: Rack Centre, though the first green certified data centre in Africa, is Actis’ eleventh green certified building across the globe.
Ezekiel Egboye, Chief Operations Officer at Rack Centre, affirmed Rack Centre’s commitment to sustainability.
“At Rack Centre, we have had a track record of setting the standard for Power Usage Efficiency in the region. Sustainability is at the core of what we do and a quest that permeates through all of our actions. It is an honour to receive this certification and another step in delivering sustainable digital infrastructure in the region.”
Outstanding data center projects may be nominated under the awards category “Sustainable Design & Build” for this year’s W.Media Asia-Pacific Cloud & Datacenter Awards. Thinking of nominating or sponsoring? Visit our Awards page for more information. Nominations are open until 31st July 2022.
