Data Centres Recognised in UK

• Content
• Environment & Sustainability
• Data Centres Recognised in UK

11 July 2014 | Updated 01 January 1970

This launch of the first Climate Change Agreement (CCA) for UK data centres is seen as a significant milestone for the industry.

The step is regarded by CBRE, the global real estate advisor, as a significant one. The data centre CCA, which has been in planning for four years, is formal recognition by the UK government, via the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), that the sector is a mature industry and significant contributor to the economy which requires its own legislation, and legal framework, to sustain industry growth.

CCAs were first introduced in 2001 and are negotiated agreements between government and energy intensive sectors that are designed to minimise energy consumption through the implementation of energy efficient measures to meet UK’s carbon reduction targets. Prior to this week, approximately 50 CCAs were already in operation in the UK covering various sectors.

Emma Fryer, Associate Director of Climate Change Programmes, techUK, commented: “CCA participants are incentivised to meet challenging energy efficiency targets via a reduction of, or exclusion from, specific carbon taxes (CCL and CRC). The data centre CCA stipulates that operators will have to make a 30% reduction in non-IT energy consumption between 2011 and 2020, via the implementation of energy efficient measures. As this target is sector specific, focused on co-location data centres, benefit will derive from many sources, including reduced energy costs, improved energy stewardship and sector governance, increased investor confidence and ultimately industry competitiveness.”

The introduction of the data centre CCA is being promoted as having changed the competitive landscape by helping UK data centre operators to compete more effectively with their overseas counterparts.

Pictured: Emma Fryer, Associate Director of Climate Change Programmes, techUK – “benefit will derive from many sources”

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 11 July 2014

Share

Related Articles