Singapore’s new data centres must use renewables. Can they overcome the hurdles?

[SINGAPORE] The latest crop of data-centre operators awarded capacity in Singapore face a crucial test: whether they can break existing barriers to clean energy adoption – from price uncertainty to supply bottlenecks – and pave the way for the rest of the industry.

On Aug 21, Singapore awarded 200 megawatts (MW) of data-centre capacity to four operators: 50 MW each to Equinix, Digital Realty, Keppel Data Centres and ST Telemedia Global Data Centres for new facilities on Jurong Island.

This was part of Singapore’s second Data Centre-Call For Application tender (DC-CFA2), which stipulated that facilities must be at least 50 per cent powered by “eligible green energy pathways”.