20 April 2020
Keppel Data Centres Holding Pte Ltd (Keppel Data Centres) has signed separate MOUs with Toll Group and Royal Vopak respectively to study the feasibility of developing a Floating Data Centre Park (FDCP) and LNG-to-power infrastructure in Singapore.
Keppel Data Centres partners with Toll Group and Royal Vopak to explore Floating Data Centre Park and LNG-to-power solutions in Singapore
Keppel Data CentresKeppel Data Centres Holding Pte Ltd (Keppel Data Centres) has signed separate MOUs with Toll Group and Royal Vopak respectively to study the feasibility of developing a Floating Data Centre Park (FDCP) and LNG-to-power infrastructure in Singapore.
Keppel Data Centres and Toll Group will explore the development of a near-shore FDCP at the Loyang Offshore Supply Base, which is operated by Toll Group.
In addition, Keppel Data Centres, together with Royal Vopak, will conduct a feasibility study and assess the commercial viability of establishing LNG and possibly hydrogen infrastructure for the power and cooling plants, which will form part of the FDCP development at Loyang Offshore Supply Base. The exploration of hydrogen infrastructure is part of Keppel Data Centres’ strategy to work towards the decarbonisation of its operations.
With the growing global demand for data centres, Keppel Data Centres’ FDCP concept is an environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient way to meet the expanding needs of the digital economy. Data centres consume significant amounts of energy for cooling purposes, especially in the tropics. A floating data centre utilises seawater for cooling and is much more energy efficient than conventional land-based data centres. It also avoids the use of potable or industrial water in cooling towers, which typically results in significant water loss through evaporation. In addition, FDCPs free up valuable land for other urban uses, making it a particularly attractive proposition for land-scarce cities.
The FDCP is envisaged to be the first-of-its-kind in Singapore, and is envisioned to optimise energy usage by integrating LNG and possibly hydrogen infrastructure for onsite power generation. This would also eliminate reliance on the national grid. Furthermore, the adjacent LNG and possibly hydrogen infrastructure will potentially allow FDCPs to tap on cold energy generated from LNG regasification to supplement the cooling load.
Mr Wong Wai Meng, CEO, Keppel Data Centres, said, “We are pleased to have strong partners such as Toll Group and Royal Vopak join us in exploring the feasibility of establishing a FDCP and its adjacent infrastructure. We are also pleased to harness the diverse capabilities of the Keppel Group to explore the development of FDCPs as part of our suite of solutions for sustainable urbanisation. We see great potential in FDCPs as a commercially viable and attractive innovation that conserves land, water and energy, compared to traditional land-based data centres.”
“Our FDCP concept will feature a modular design, which can be scaled up quickly according to customers’ demand. Fabrication of floating data centres can be done quickly and cost effectively in controlled environments such as Keppel Offshore & Marine’s yards and deployed in a ‘plug-and-play’ manner. This greatly reduces the construction-related carbon footprint of data centres, as well as the development costs and speed to market. Given the modular design, new floating data centre modules can be readily developed and deployed to replace the older ones, while the older floating data centre modules can be recycled for deployment in other locations, thus contributing to the circular economy.”
Mr Sam Eid, Executive Vice President - Global Logistics, Toll Group, said, “We’re excited about partnering with Keppel Data Centres to explore a sustainable innovative solution for data centre development. Our primary focus for the base remains to support the Oil, Gas, Industrial and Marine industries. This initiative will allow Toll Group to take a significant role to improve space productivity and sustainability in Singapore whilst driving our primary focus.”
Mr Kees van Seventer, President, Vopak LNG, said, “Our collaboration with Keppel Data Centres will allow us to leverage our global expertise and experience to develop resilient and efficient LNG infrastructure for power generation to feed the data centre development in Singapore. The partnership will also enable us to study the technical and commercial viability of hydrogen and its required infrastructure for power generation. With our presence of 37 years in Singapore, we are committed to grow our footprint with sustainable infrastructure solutions.”
About Keppel Data Centres
Keppel Data Centres Holding (Keppel Data Centres) is a 70-30 joint venture between Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation (Keppel T&T) and Keppel Land, both subsidiaries of Keppel Corporation, a multi-business company providing solutions for sustainable urbanisation, to meet the growing need for energy, infrastructure, clean environments, high quality homes and offices, and connectivity.
Keppel Data Centres has a track record of more than a decade in owning, developing and managing high-quality carrier-neutral data centre facilities that support mission-critical computer systems. Strongly committed to environmentally sustainable business practices, Keppel Data Centres offers a comprehensive range of wholesale, build-to-suit and colocation solutions built to the highest industry standards.
Keppel T&T is also the sponsor of Keppel DC REIT, the first data centre Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) listed in Asia and on the SGX-ST. Keppel Data Centres, together with other members of Keppel Group, owns and operates a global portfolio of more than 20 data centres located in key data centre hubs across Asia Pacific and Europe.
For more information, please visit www.keppeldatacentres.com
About Toll Group
With over 130 years’ experience, Toll Group, proudly part of Japan Post, operates an extensive global logistics network across 1200 locations in more than 50 countries. Our 44,000 employees provide a diverse range of transport and logistics solutions covering road, air, ocean and rail to help our customers meet their global supply chain needs. www.tollgroup.com
Spanning 32 hectares, TOPS Loyang Offshore Supply Base is situated in Loyang area, the East end of Singapore. The facility has been in operations since the 1970s. In July 2008, Toll Group was granted redevelopment rights and invested S$325M for 22 buildings to be redeveloped. The facility allows organisations to consolidate their operations into one central location, including all office and administrative functions. Today, the facility has 970m of berthing space, capable of handling more than 11 vessels simultaneously and can accommodate drill ships, semi-submersibles, jack-up rigs and vessels of up to 26,000 displacement tonnes.
About Royal Vopak
Royal Vopak is the world’s leading independent tank storage company. We store vital products with care. With over 400 years of history and a focus on sustainability, we ensure safe, clean and efficient storage and handling of bulk liquid products and gases for our customers. By doing so, we enable the delivery of products that are vital to our economy and daily lives, ranging from chemicals, oils, gases and LNG to biofuels and vegoils. We are determined to develop key infrastructure solutions for the world’s changing energy systems, while simultaneously investing in digitalization and innovation. Vopak is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, please visit www.vopak.com