Following an intense evaluation process, all four DigiPlex data centres have now been certified well ahead of the September 2018 deadline, by which all 300,000 ISO certificates issued worldwide must transition to the new standard.
ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements for organizations seeking to manage their environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner. DigiPlex’s continued compliance with these standards shows that its data centres meet, and often exceed, the level of service and sustainability demanded by customers.
“DigiPlex is committed to operating sustainably and to continuous improvement of its environmental performance. We welcome these new standards as they reflect the standards to which we already operate while helping us assure our clients we meet their stringent environmental and operating requirements,” says CEO Gisle M. Eckhoff.
Shortly after commencing operations in 2001 DigiPlex adopted the policy of exclusively using renewable energy in all its data centres. This policy excluded carbon power, but also all nuclear energy sources. These policies have been maintained ever since and serve to distinguish DigiPlex from the vast majority of its global competition.
Today, data centres are responsible for 2 per cent of the world’s annual CO2 emissions and 3 per cent of the world’s power usage. Despite DigiPlex’ significant energy requirements, its CO2 output is next to zero, largely due to its access to clean renewable energy in the Nordics. If DigiPlex’s power demands were met by coal, its total annual CO2 output would be 17.6 kilotons, the approximate annual output of 4,000 passenger cars.
In addition to the environmental benefits of operating in the Nordic region, the power costs are also significantly lower. DigiPlex has also become one of the first data centre providers to be approved for a new Norwegian tax relief scheme that reduces electric fees by 97 percent. As an example, a US firm deploying 12MW over 10 years will save $100+ million by placing their data centre in the Nordics over an equivalent in the UK. This calculation is only based on the difference in the cost of power.
“As a result of widespread global digitalization, data centres and the power they consume are playing an increasing role in decision making about sustainable business, and carbon taxation. Ensuring data centres adhere to strict, universal standards for energy efficiency will only grow as a concern for citizens, businesses and governments alike”, says CEO Gisle M. Eckhoff.
