Nxtra by Airtel Partners in Renewable Energy Initiative in India

Nxtra by Airtel, a prominent data centre provider in India, has officially joined the RE100 initiative. This commitment entails sourcing 100% renewable energy for its operations.

The RE100 initiative, spearheaded by the Climate Group—a non-profit organization—aims to expedite climate action and work towards achieving a net-zero carbon emissions world by 2050, in collaboration with environmental disclosure system CDP.

According to Nxtra, it is the fourteenth company from India to commit to RE100, marking it as the only data centre entity in the country to do so.

The firm states that it has already contracted 422,000 MWh of renewable energy. During the 2023-24 financial year, Nxtra claims to have avoided approximately 156,595 tCO2e emissions through various Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and solar rooftop plants.

With a network comprising 12 large and 120 edge data centres spread across India, Nxtra aims to implement various strategies to diminish its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The company aims for net-zero emissions by the end of the 2031 financial year.

This ambition is commendable, yet it underscores the necessity for data centre firms to take the initiative even before governmental action is mandated.

As highlighted by law firm Bird & Bird, data centres currently account for 3% of global energy consumption (approximately 416 TWh). Projections suggest that by 2030, if no changes are made, this figure could exceed 10%. The sector’s expansion highlights the urgent need for a substantial shift in the energy sources that power these centres. Furthermore, Europe and the U.S. have already established regulatory frameworks.

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With announcements of new data centre developments nearly every day in regions as varied as Malaysia and South Africa, it raises the question: how long will it be before these and other countries implement similar regulations to those in Europe and the U.S.?