Top concerns for data centre construction managers revealed

Author: Simon Rowley

Research from energy solutions specialist, Aggreko, has revealed that a third of data centre construction managers in the UK and more than 40% in Ireland cite the reduction of their projects’ environmental impact as a top concern.

Data was collected from 495 construction managers working in the European data centre sector, including 104 from both the UK and Ireland combined.

This comes as the data centre industry continues to battle for capacity to meet an exponential increase in demand. According to Savills, there is an insufficient pipeline of data centre development planned through to the end of 2025, with the number of projects needing to increase by almost 2.5 times to meet demand.

Additionally, when asked whether sustainability was more important than it was three years ago, respondents to Aggreko’s survey in Ireland valued it the most, with a net important score of 96%. Mirroring this, over 70% of respondents in the UK also said sustainability had grown as a priority.

The research highlighted legislation as the main driver for the use of greener technologies in the UK, whereas the need to lower carbon emissions ranked highest in Ireland. However, more than two-thirds of UK respondents and four-fifths of those from Ireland agreed that ‘knowledge of legislation at senior levels is not always implemented on site, which poses a risk to compliance when it comes to decarbonisation’, indicating a level of disconnection between knowledge and implementation.

And when asked which greener technology they were likely to use, more than a third of UK respondents cited battery energy storage systems (BESS). A third of respondents from Ireland said future fuel such as hydrogen or biomethanol.

However, there remain various significant barriers to the uptake of greener technologies across Europe. In both the UK and Ireland, the cost of investing in these was highlighted as an issue for more than 40% of the market. Notably, a quarter of respondents from these two countries also said it was ‘not easy’ to access biofuels.

Speaking about the findings, Billy Durie, Global Sector Head for Data Centres at Aggreko, comments, “It is not a surprise to us that data centre construction managers are finding it difficult to battle the challenges facing the industry. Combined with mounting pressure for more data centre space, it seems that we are currently operating in a perfect storm.

“For data centre construction managers active in the UK and Ireland, it is vital they work together with a trusted and reliable energy supplier that understands the industry’s challenges. At Aggreko, we know that it’s not as simple as taking the plunge on greener upgrades; there are various barriers that must be navigated, and managers need flexibility on their side to be able to respond to whatever challenges are thrown their way.

“We know, and our survey has shown, that it is not for a lack of wanting that data centre construction managers are unable to meet sustainability targets as quickly or efficiently as they would like. By supporting the industry, we can work together to address many of these issues simultaneously through temporary power storage and provision solutions.”

To read Aggreko’s survey in full, click here.

For more from Aggreko, click here.