atNorth data center to supply district heating

Article published by JydskeVestkysten on November 13

A new collaboration between Ølgod Tekniske Værker and the data center company atNorth could have a meaningful impact on district heating customers in Ølgod.

The project involves a large-scale data center northeast of Ølgod in Varde Municipality. Its surplus heat will be captured and reused, creating an opportunity for local district heating users to benefit.

The data center is planned to have a capacity of approximately 250 MW and will be built on a 174-hectare site located about 40 km west of Billund Airport.

The surplus heat from the data center – cooled using water – will reach temperatures of around 32°C (about 90°F). A 3.5-km transmission pipeline will be required to connect this heat to Ølgod Tekniske Værker’s district heating network.

At peak demand, the district heating plant is expected to need around 17 MW of heat from the data center, especially during cold winters. The surplus heat could potentially replace up to 10,000 tons of biomass each year, and the existing 8 MW biomass boiler (roughly 20 years old) may be shifted to backup use.

With this future supply of surplus heat, the district heating provider expects it will become their primary energy source, improving both system resilience and environmental impact.

Along with the jobs created by the data center and related sector-coupling project – up to 400 new positions in Varde Municipality – this shift could also result in more stable and potentially lower district heating prices for consumers.

Read the article in Danish here.