Mytilineos, a Greek energy company, has signed two long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Keppel DC REIT, an Asian data center real estate trust. The latter will power its two facilities in Dublin with energy generated by solar farms in Ireland.
The two Greek-owned solar farms are located in Wexford and Kilkenny and have a combined capacity of 14.28 MW.
Gary Watson, country manager of Keppel DC REIT (Ireland), said: “As an established provider of colocation data centers in Ireland, Keppel DC REIT is committed to achieving net zero in its operations in Ireland by 2030, in line with Ireland’s Climate Action Plan . and its commitment to the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact.
“By strengthening our commitment to tackling climate change, we believe we can better support our customers’ sustainability goals.”
Following the two latest PPAs, roughly 92% of Keppel DC REIT’s power needs for its Irish data centers will be met by Irish renewables. The PPAs stipulate that Mytilineos will supply approximately 11% of the data centers’ total power needs once the solar farms are completed in summer 2024.
Mytilineos’ executive director of renewable energy Nikos Papapetrou said: “This signing of Mytilineos’ first PPA in Ireland strengthens the company’s presence in the local renewable energy market and promotes significant growth opportunities.
“We are proud to partner with Keppel, an international provider of reliable data centers in Europe and Asia Pacific, and recognize the eminent need for green solutions in a demanding energy market.”
Irish solar development
The location of one of the solar farms, Gorey, Wexford, is an area with one of the highest irradiation regions in Ireland. The country is quickly emerging as a major market for renewable energy generation and has recently deployed 1 GW of energy storage capacity.
It is also predicted that Ireland will have the highest growth rate in Europe in electricity demand and consumption, with an average annual increase of almost 7%.
On May 22, Lightsource bp presented its proposal for a 57MW solar and 54MW joint energy storage facility on 182 hectares of land in County Meath, Ireland.