HVO comes to London data center

Sustainability has always been a part of our DNA here at Verne. Our Nordic locations give us a tremendous advantage, but we don’t take that for granted. We are always looking at innovative ways to minimise the environmental impact of our data center operations.  

Today we are announcing a new partnership with Crown Oil to transition power generators at our London data center from diesel fuel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). Immediately upon switching to HVO, we can cut up to 90% of net CO2 emissions from the generators. This shift represents the most substantial single action we can take locally to reduce our carbon impact.  

Constraints in London 

Our data center campus sits in the heart of London. While an advantageous location for connectivity, opportunities to generate renewable energy onsite are limited to what is available from London’s power grid. In addition, the dense urban environment restricts our use of solutions like solar panels.  

Adopting HVO has a surprisingly significant impact. We currently hold a greenhouse gas (GHG) permit as a small emitter. Switching to HVO will reduce our emissions to such an extent that we can surrender our permit as our carbon emissions will be so low a permit is no longer needed. Welcome news indeed!  

What is HVO? 

HVO is a cutting-edge, diesel alternative made entirely from renewable resources. It is not only one of the cleanest available fuels on the market today but can easily replace conventional diesel without any modifications to existing infrastructure.  

Benefits include:

Extended Shelf Life - Traditional diesel requires regular cleaning due to its six-month shelf life. In contrast, HVO can remain stable for up to 10 years without the need for constant treatment, simplifying storage and maintenance. 

Robust Performance - HVO performs reliably in both high and low temperatures, ensuring operational integrity year-round. 

Small Changes, Big Impact 

We continually review and adjust operations across all our data center campuses to maximise sustainability. Last year saw a similar initiative implemented when we switched to Neste renewable diesel to eliminate fossil fuels from our data center operations in Finland. Much like when you replace traditional light bulbs with LED lights in your home, the small actions can have a significant impact. At Verne, we leave no stone unturned for ways to make a difference in our data centers.  

Sustainability is a core value here at Verne. It is one of our guiding principles that influences not only how we operate as an organisation, but how we enable our customers to maximise their high-performance compute. By continuously improving our sustainability measures, we not only enhance our operational efficiency but also make it easy for our customers to run their workloads without costing the Earth.