Datum Datacentres, the business-critical data centre provider, has announced it will be transitioning from diesel to renewable HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) fuel for its backup generators at its flagship facility on the Cody Technology Park, Farnborough.  Working in partnership with Keysource, the global datacentre and critical environment specialist, this move will enable Datum to reduce up to 90% of net CO₂ emissions if its backup generators are used.

 This marks another significant step in Datum’s plans to become a fully carbon neutral data centre by 2030. As a stable, renewable and sustainable fuel, the move to HVO will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 90%, NOx emissions by as much as 27% and PM emissions by as much as 84%, compared with conventional diesel, all of which are key components in achieving improved air quality.

This transition builds on over a decade of focus on delivering environmentally efficient data centre services, using innovative design and technologies which allow Datum to operate at a PUE of sub-1.2, harnessing renewable energy sources and reducing scope 2 and 3 emissions.

Dominic Phillips, Managing Director at Datum, said: “Sustainability is very much in our DNA and with our ongoing partnership with Keysource, which spans over 15 years, we are confident in our strategy and roadmap. This move to introduce HVO fuel at our Farnborough facility is part of that and has meant that we can reduce our GHG emissions almost immediately."

Jon Healy, Operations Director at Keysource, said: “As sustainability and ESG has been catapulted to the forefront, turning to HVO fuel is a natural step for Datum to reduce their impact on the environment. Importantly, the Keysource role enables Datum to do this confidently without disruption or impact to performance and is just one initiative planned to reduce whole life-cycle carbon emissions.”