Sustainable beacon Kenya is building a new data centre that will be powered entirely by geothermal energy. The companies involved – the government-owned KenGen and Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) – have just broken ground on the Olkaria EcoCloud Data Centre at the KenGen Smart Industrial Park in Naivasha, according to Africa Business Communities. Data Centre Dynamics, meanwhile, reports that the new data centre will be KenGen’s first geothermal client at the park. Situated on a geothermal field, the business complex will accommodate a range of industrial and non-industrial enterprises, which will benefit from lower power tariffs from KenGen. Spanning three campuses, the data centre is expected to have a demand for 70 MW. ‘This project is not just about bricks and mortar or data servers; it’s about the future. The Olkaria EcoCloud Data Centre will be a beacon of sustainability and a hub for innovation within the African continent’, says Okaria EcoCloud Data Centre CEO Amos Siwoi. 12 September 2023 Image: Unsplash