STACK Infrastructure connects data centre to Hafslund Oslo Celsio System for city-wide heat reuse

STACK Infrastructure and Hafslund Oslo Celsio, the district heating provider for Norway’s capital city, have successfully completed a one-year ramp-up and excess heat produced by STACK’s OSL01 data center is now providing heat and hot water for up to 5,000 Oslo homes.

The idea to feed heat from STACK’s OSL01 data center near the heart of Oslo into the city’s district heating system was first conceived in 2018. Over the following years the concept was tested and proven, and a dedicated heat-exchange plant was built on STACK’s campus, where new insulated pipework and cooling coils were retrofitted to the data center. The partnership creates a circular economy for energy and STACK’s OSL01 data center now exports around 3.5MW of heat energy into the Oslo district heating system, reducing Celsio’s alternative energy production by 25,000,000kWh (25GWh). The use of excess heat in district heating frees green electricity for alternative uses, including for example electrification of the transport sector.

District heating is an important component of city infrastructure in Norway. The 60-mile thermal energy distribution system, operated by Celsio, efficiently shifts energy from areas with excess to areas in need. The cooperation represents an invaluable new model as these systems are faced with growing demand but restricted energy resources. Retrofitting or designing facilities to reutilize excess heat enables data centers to optimize consumption and support local communities.

“It is a great pleasure to see the collaboration with STACK come to fruition and I'm sure this is the first of several projects to come,” said Knut Inderhaug, Managing Director, Hafslund Oslo Celsio. “Data centers located in urban areas are stable and good sources of excess heat for district heating, and together we can contribute to the reuse of emission-free heat. Projects like this are positive for us as energy providers, for our city and its inhabitants, and for the climate.”

“STACK has pioneered heat reuse technology at our data centers in the Nordics and we are proud to be contributing to such an important project, which also aligns with our commitment to the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact,” commented Halvor Bjerke, CEO, STACK EMEA – Nordics. “Heat reuse is now standard in our new data center designs, and we expect to continue collaborating with city authorities as well as heat and power companies to ensure that this circular economy for energy becomes widespread so that the digital economy is a sustainable one.”