APAC data center firm AirTrunk has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to procure renewable energy in Malaysia.
The company this week announced it had signed a virtual PPA (vPPA) with renewable energy developer, ib vogt, under Malaysia’s Corporate Green Power Programme (CGPP).
The CGPP, an initiative from the Suruhanjaya Tenaga (Malaysia’s Energy Commission) enables businesses to sign vPPAs and participate in renewable energy projects in Malaysia.
A quota of 800MW of solar energy generation capacity has been allocated to the program, and developers can apply for a maximum capacity of 30MW with a secured off-taker.
AirTrunk will procure the output of a 29.99MW solar farm that ib vogt is currently developing under the CGPP. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-2024.
Damien Spillane, AirTrunk CTO, said: “Joining forces with ib vogt to lead Malaysia’s first data center renewable energy vPPA demonstrates our dedication to pioneer sustainable action in the industry. As we continue to drive digitalization in Malaysia through the development of our 150MW AirTrunk JHB1 data center this initiative marks yet another important step in our roadmap to achieve Net Zero and decarbonize APJ’s electricity grid.”
AirTrunk announced plans for a 150MW campus in Johor, Malaysia, in early 2023. Sat on 10 hectares, JHB1 will offer 21,900 sqm (235,750 sq ft) of space across 20 data halls and more than 150MW of capacity, along with 370 sqm (4,000 sqm) of office and storage area. The initial phases of JHB1 will provide 50MW of capacity and is due for completion in 2024.
Ib vogt APAC CEO, David Ludwig, added: “The decarbonization of supply chains in Southeast Asia is just beginning, and it is great to see Malaysia and AirTrunk taking a prominent position in the transition towards clean energy. It is through powerful partnerships with industry leaders like AirTrunk that ib vogt continues to be in a leading role to support corporations in meeting their renewable energy goals.”
AirTrunk, which has campuses in operation or development across Australia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, has previously signed renewable energy deals in Australia and Hong Kong.
Founded in 2002 and majority owned by DIF Capital Partners, ib vogt has previously signed a solar PPA with Google in Spain.
This week also saw AirTrunk announce the appointment of Laura Coad as chief data center officer, responsible for the operations of AirTrunk’s data center portfolio. Coad joined AirTrunk from Digital Realty in 2016 as general manager – operations. In her role as CDCO, she will report to AirTrunk founder and chief executive officer Robin Khuda and is responsible for the company’s asset management, facility operations, service delivery, and security.
