Spain

Merlin and Edged will develop two data centre campuses in Extremadura

Merlin and Edged will develop two data centre campuses in Extremadura

The Regional Government of Extremadura, in collaboration with Merlin Properties and Edged Energy, has announced the creation of two data centre campuses specialising in generative artificial intelligence and advanced computing. The facilities, which will be located in Navalmoral de la Mata (Cáceres) and Valdecaballeros (Badajoz), will be developed with a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency, with no water consumption and powered exclusively by renewable energy.

The Navalmoral de la Mata campus will be developed on the grounds of Expacio Navalmoral and will be connected to the Arañuelo 400kV substation, owned by Redeia. It will have between eight and ten buildings, each with an IT capacity of 100 MW, and will be interconnected by dark fibre networks linking Lisbon and Madrid, among other strategic connections. Thanks to its finalist land, it will be the first campus to be promoted internationally.

The Valdecaballeros campus will be located on the site of the former decommissioned nuclear power plant and will be connected to the Valdecaballeros 400kV substation. This site will have 10 buildings, each with an IT capacity of 100 MW, although it will require prior connectivity works and urban planning procedures at local and regional level, which postpones its international promotion.

The project seeks to enhance the sustainable energy generation capacity of Extremadura, which currently produces six times more electricity than it consumes. The installation of these data centres, an electricity-intensive industry, aims to balance this ratio, generating qualified employment both in the construction phase and in the operation of the facilities. It is also expected to have a positive impact on the local economy, with indirect benefits in ancillary industries and services.

The President of the Regional Government of Extremadura, María Guardiola, declared that ‘With these two data centre campuses, the region is entering a new phase, demonstrating that a traditionally rural area can become a benchmark thanks to new technologies’. This project marks a milestone in public-private collaboration in Spain, highlighting Extremadura's role as a strategic enclave for digital infrastructures’.

The campuses will be equipped with advanced technologies, including ThermalWorks' waterless cooling system, designed to dissipate the heat generated by high-density artificial intelligence systems. This technology reduces energy consumption by more than 74% compared to conventional data centres and supports densities of up to 200kW per rack.

Merlin-Edged, the collaboration between Merlin Properties and Edged Energy established in 2020, is leading the development of these infrastructures. The company currently operates and develops data centres in Spain and Portugal, standing out for their energy efficiency with a PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of 1.15, compared to the European average of 1.46.

Designing and developing two data centre clusters of this magnitude in Extremadura represents a great opportunity and responsibility. This project fixes population, generates high value-added employment and has a transversal impact on ancillary sectors and vocational training,’ says Ismael Clemente, CEO of Merlin Properties.

This project marks a milestone in public-private collaboration in Spain, highlighting Extremadura's role as a strategic enclave for the development of sustainable, high-tech digital infrastructures.

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