Latvian telco Tet is to build a new data center outside Riga.

This week, the company announced plans to invest €30 million ($33.2m) in developing the facility in Salaspils, to the south of the capital city.

Specifications of the facility weren’t shared, but construction on the new data center is planned to start at the end of 2024 for a 2028 completion.

The project will be managed by Tet's construction subsidiary Citrus Solutions.

Tet CEO, Uldis Tatarčuks, said: “This data center will be an important step towards the development of new services and the promotion of Latvia's digital export capacity. In close cooperation with Salaspils municipality and private sector companies, we will be able to offer the latest generation technology solutions. The new data center will be an excellent result of the work of a team of professionals, engineers and experts, which will help to strengthen the competitiveness of both the company and Latvia in the international market.”

The waste heat from the facility will be used within a district heating scheme operated by Salaspils Siltums. LSM said the site will utilize liquid cooling.

The new project in Salaspils will be Tet's seventh data center, offering colocation services as well as cloud services through Tet Cloud. The company currently has the capacity for just over 500 racks across its existing footprint, offering less than 5MW.

Raivis Anspaks, chairman of the Salaspils County municipal council, said: “The project has both practical significance – it will provide an opportunity to obtain additional thermal energy for the needs of the residents, and great symbolic significance – we see Salaspils as an ecologically clean, innovative and smart county in the future.”

Founded in 1992, Tet (formerly Lattelekom and Lattelecom) is majority-owned by the Latvian government, with Telia owning the remaining 49 percent.