Africa Data Centers, a Cassava Technologies group of companies, is pleased to announce that it has broken ground on the construction of a solar power plant in the Free State in collaboration with DPA Southern Africa.
The announcement is a key element of a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) signed in March 2023 with DPA Southern Africa, a joint venture of French utility EDF. Free State Farm's purpose is to provide renewable energy to data center sites in Africa, including the CPT1 facility, a state-of-the-art carrier-neutral data center in Cape Town.
said Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies. “This initiative positions Africa Data Centers as a pioneer in the data center industry to address South Africa's energy crisis through sustainable technology solutions. The strategic use of solar power demonstrates the role of technology in pioneering solutions to energy challenges and environmental sustainability.”
Additionally, Tesh Durvasula, CEO of African Data Centers, highlighted the company's commitment to supplying all data centers with clean renewable energy sources. “Today’s announcement represents a major step forward in our efforts to sustainably revitalize South Africa’s data centers and advance our goal of achieving carbon neutrality. This includes building 12MW of solar infrastructure to supply the electricity, with subsequent phases extending to a data center in Johannesburg.”
Naufal El Fadil, CEO of DPA SA, said: “As a pioneer in the data center industry, Africa Data Center has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability, aligning seamlessly with our company values. We are very excited and honored to contribute to Africa Data Center's mission to achieve carbon neutrality, starting with the establishment of this solar farm in the Free State to provide services at the heart of our collaboration. There is a shared understanding that the path to carbon neutrality extends beyond infrastructure and that overcoming the challenges requires innovation, expertise and collective determination. Backed by tradition, we bring to this partnership a wealth of experience and a proven track record in delivering high-quality, sustainable energy solutions.”
“We are supporting Africa’s data centers on this journey and being one of the pioneers in the launch of self-driving solar power plants, thereby paving the way for a greener and more sustainable future for South Africa. We are very proud to have pioneered this,” added Naufal El Fadil.
This project is a key element of Africa Data Center's ambitious plans to emerge as the continent's most sustainable colocation provider. “Beyond renewable energy sourcing, our commitment to efficiency strategies has earned us the internationally recognized ISO50001 certification for effective data center operations,” Darvasula elaborated. Masu.
“Data centers around the world face intense scrutiny regarding their reliance on grid power and renewable energy, and Africa is no exception. Data centers in Africa are generating renewable energy and connecting it to the regional power grid. We are proactively tackling this issue by reducing the burden of is another significant step towards achieving that goal,” Durvasula concluded.
