Keppel Datahub 2 clinches highest green accolade from BCA and IDA

First new data centre to receive distinction.

Keppel Datahub 2 (KDH2) has set the benchmark in sustainable development by becoming the first new data centre in the Singapore to achieve the Platinum Award for BCA-IDA Green Mark, the highest green accolade conferred by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore specifically for data centre developments.

Designed to high specifications, KDH2 is a new data centre development, undertaken by Keppel Data Centres Holding Pte Ltd, a joint venture between Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Limited (Keppel T&T) and Keppel Land Limited. Strategically located adjacent to the joint venture's existing data centre at Tampines, KDH2 is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 3Q 2014. When completed, the development will offer more than 6,000 sm of high quality data centre space with the capability to meet high powered rack requirements.

Mr Bruno Lopez, CEO Keppel Data Centres, said, "As environmental concerns dominate global and national agendas, especially in the context of high energy users in data centres, it is important to constantly innovate to maintain the highest energy efficient standards in our data centres".

According to a report on Data Centre Energy Efficiency Benchmarking published by the National Environment Agency in 2012, Singapore's total commercial data centre capacity is expected to expand by a further 51%, bringing total area to nearly 337,000 square metres by 2015. With data centres forming 3.6% of the nation's total electricity consumption and poised to increase at an exponential rate over the next 5 years, any savings in energy will prove to be very significant.

Mr Bruno Lopez also added, "As the demand for Data Centres increases through increased data requirements from social media, e-commerce and outsourcing, we are also seeing a greater focus from end users towards adopting greener solutions. We spent significant time and effort, working with our customers, contractors and energy consultants to comprehensively plan and design our data centre from the electrical and mechanical schematics to the choice of equipment vendors. We are pleased that Keppel Datahub 2 is the first in Singapore to receive the accolade. We see this as a continual process to provide the highest quality solutions to our customers in an environmentally friendly manner."

Some examples of the green features and initiatives employed by KDH2 include dynamic Rotary Uninterruptible Power Systems (DRUPs) and customised Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM).

In the post design stage for KDH2, BCA also performed a rigorous assessment to evaluate the overall design across various components including energy efficiency, water efficiency, sustainable construction and management, indoor environment quality and other green features prior to conferring the Green Mark Platinum award.

Mr Pang Hee Hon, CEO at Keppel T&T said, "At Keppel T&T, we believe that going green is no longer an option, but a responsibility, in line with the Group's overall drive towards sustainable green solutions. Keppel T&T remains committed to championing green causes as part of its efforts to grow the data centre business."

To-date, Keppel T&T holds a portfolio of nine high quality data centre assets in Asia Pacific and Europe, including those held through its majority stake in the Securus Data Property Fund. As announced earlier, Keppel T&T is currently exploring the establishment of a data centre real estate investment trust (REIT) to be listed on the Main Board of Singapore Exchange.