With a total capacity of 2MW, the new hydropower plants known as Paladina and Ponte Briolo - share the same water intake on the Brembo river and are joined by a private adduction canal.
They join the existing plant within Aruba's global cloud data centre which is also located on the Brembo river. A further plants were acquired by the company in 2020 in Melegnano, Milan on the Lambro River, in Chiuppano and Calvene, Vicenza on the Astico river and in Pontebba, Udine on the Fella.
Aruba's entire network of hydroelectric power plants has a total capacity of 9.2MW for the production of clean energy and the expected annual output is approximately 50GWh.
"Energy consumption in the IT sector continues to grow at a high rate, which is why it is more essential than ever to aim for maximum energy efficiency and the production of energy from renewable sources," said Stefano Cecconi, CEO of Aruba.
"This first investment in 2023, which anticipates further ones, allows us to increase our capacity to produce clean energy and keep us in line with our long-term sustainability goals."
The two new buildings DC-B and DC-C on the Ponte San Pietro campus are clad with photovoltaic systems with a capacity of 1.2MW and 1.3MW, respectively, in addition to the 2.4MW system at DC-A.
The data centres currently under construction at the new campus in Rome will also be clad with photovoltaic panels on all surfaces that have sufficient exposure to the sun.
In addition, Aruba is part of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, a self-regulatory initiative that aims to make data centres in Europe climate neutral by 2030. The company is also part of the European Green Digital Coalition, which aims to invest in sustainable and efficient digital services.
