Research conducted by Aggreko has revealed that sustainability is a significant concern among data centre construction managers in the UK and Ireland. Approximately one-third of construction managers in the UK and over 40% in Ireland cited the reduction of their projects’ environmental impact as a top priority.
The findings are based on data collected from 495 construction managers working in the European data centre sector, including 104 from both the UK and Ireland.
This focus on sustainability comes as the data centre industry grapples with a surge in demand. According to Savills, there is an insufficient pipeline of planned data centre developments scheduled to meet the demand projected through the end of 2025, with the current number of projects needing to increase by nearly 2.5 times.
Moreover, when participants were asked whether sustainability had become more important compared with three years ago, respondents in Ireland indicated that it was valued the most, showing a net importance score of 96%. In the UK, over 70% of respondents also acknowledged an increased priority for sustainability.
The research identified differing motivations for adopting greener technologies: in the UK, legislation was highlighted as the primary driver, while in Ireland, the need to lower carbon emissions ranked highest. However, more than two-thirds of UK respondents and four-fifths of those from Ireland expressed concern that knowledge of legislation at senior levels often fails to translate to on-site implementation, posing risks to compliance in decarbonization efforts.
Regarding the adoption of greener technologies, battery energy storage systems (BESS) were noted by over a third of UK respondents, while a similar proportion of Irish respondents indicated interest in future fuels such as hydrogen or biomethanol.
Despite the apparent commitment to greener practices, significant barriers remain. More than 40% of respondents from both countries highlighted the high costs associated with investing in greener technologies as a major obstacle. Additionally, a quarter of respondents noted that accessing biofuels was ‘not easy.’
