Keppel Data Centres said on Monday it has signed deals with Australia-based Toll Group and Dutch Vopak to study the feasibility of developing a floating data park and LNG-to-power infrastructure in Singapore.
Under the MoU, Keppel Data Centres, a unit of Keppel Corp, and Toll Group will explore the development of a near-shore floating data centre park.
The Toll Group-operated Loyang offshore supply base would be the park’s location.
In addition, Keppel and Vopak will conduct a feasibility study and assess the commercial viability of establishing LNG and possibly hydrogen infrastructure for power and cooling plants.
These plants will form part of the floating data park development at the Loyang base, Keppel said in the statement.
The company says these initiatives are part of the company’s strategy to work towards the decarbonisation of its operations.
“Environmentally-friendly” and resource-efficient
There is a growing global demand for data centres.
Keppel’s floating park 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 uses 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 results in significant water loss through evaporation.
In addition, floating data centers free up valuable land for other urban uses.
This makes floating centers “particularly attractive” for land-scarce cities, the statement said.
The floating data centre park would be the first-of-its-kind in Singapore.
It would 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 would potentially allow floating data centre parks to tap on cold energy.
This energy is generated from LNG regasification to supplement the cooling load.