Groningen Seaports Brochure 2018

LOGO

INSIDE THE GRONINGEN SEAPORT DATA CENTRE ECOSYSTEM

Example Cover

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CONNECTING THE

WORLD WITH GREEN ENERGY

WRIT TEN BY

CATHERINE S TURM AN PRODUCED BY

LE WIS VAUGHAN

w w w. g r o n i n g e n - s e a p o r t s . c o m

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The data centre industry and subsequent demand for energy is growing apace.

Manager for Energy & Dataport, ROBERT VAN TUINEN, tells us how Groningen Seaports is catering to this demand

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ROBERT VAN TUINEN is responsible for the development of the energy, IT and automotive sector within both ports. He has an academic background in business administration and previously worked for a national bank and as a manager for an energy knowledge institute.

Chemical industry Delfzijl

T

he ongoing demand for

In particular, there are big invest-

connectivity has led to an

ments coming from the data centre

exponential boom within

sector itself,” explains Robert Van

the energy sector, thanks largely to

Tuinen, Manager for Energy &

the launch of data centres world-

Dataport at Groningen Seaports.

wide. The communications industry

Consisting of two seaports, the

is set to absorb up to 20% of the

port of Delfzijl and Eemshaven, as

world’s electricity by 2025, as busi-

well as two inland ports, Farmsum-

nesses and consumers depend on

erhaven and Oosterhornhaven, Van

the increased use of digital data to

Tuinen has led the growth of one of

fuel business growth.

Europe’s largest energy hubs for

Europe has become a significant

data and a growing offshore wind

player, where competition remains rife

sector. The 1,319 hectare site at

in an area of unprecedented potential.

Eemshaven has been transformed

“A major change is that it’s no

into an area of international signifi-

longer big telecom operators or

cance within the data centre

state-owned telecom companies

industry, renowned for accessibility

who are investing in connectivity,

and quality. Utilised by international

it’s mostly commercially driven.

companies, the area is driven by w w w. g r o n i n g e n - s e a p o r t s . c o m

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Your business case today

translated in smart data centre space for tomorrow

Royal HaskoningDHV is an independent, international engineering and project management consultancy with 135 years of experience.

Backed by the expertise and experience of 6,000 colleagues all over the world, our professionals combine ‘global expertise’ with ‘local knowledge’ to deliver a multidisciplinary range of consultancy services.

By showing leadership and innovation in the design of data centres, we are creating solutions for a vital infrastructure in our modern live and empower a sustainable society now and into the future.

For more information, please contact: Martien Arts, Director - Mission Critical Facilities T: +31 88 348 6550 M: +31 6 51846333 E: martien.arts@rhdhv.com www.royalhaskoningdhv.com/datacentres

100% renewable energy.

“In 2012, we said that we were going to invest millions in this new port area. We had this million-euro programme to redevelop land and start conversations with landowners and foreign investors to take a look at Eemshaven. It was still predominantly farmland, but people needed to believe in this,” Van Tuinen recalls.

“A few years back, I thought, ‘we need others to tell our story as well’. We combined the data port development together with

“ IT’S NO LONGER BIG TELECOM OPERATORS OR STATE-OWNED TELECOM COMPANIES WHO ARE INVESTING IN CONNECTIVITY, IT’S MOSTLY COMMERCIALLY DRIVEN. THERE ARE BIG INVESTMENTS COMING FROM THE DATA CENTRE SECTOR” — Robert Van Tuinen, Manager for Energy & Dataport

partnerships, who we call ‘preferred suppliers’. These were the early movers who believed in the concept.

“Energy suppliers in general weren’t used to structured power purchase agreements based on joint equity or very long terms for instance,” he continues. “This may sound funny, but five or six years ago, this wasn’t something normal for energy companies.

Eneco was a good match with the specific demand coming from the industry, one of the first w w w. g r o n i n g e n - s e a p o r t s . c o m

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LOOKING FOR A DARK FIBER CONNECTION?

COPENHAGEN Endrup

HAMBURG Eemshaven Groningen

Leeuwarden

Nieuweschans Den Helder Alkmaar Zwolle

Zandvoort

Amersfoort

AMSTERDAM

Apeldoorn

Den Haag Utrecht

Enschede

Arnhem

Rotterdam Eindhoven

Venlo

Düsseldorf

Zandvliet

Eijsden

FRANKFURT

RELINED FIBER NETWORK DARK FIBER CARIER

Relined is an independent supplier of Dark Fibre (unlit glass fiber).

Our aim is to help our customers achieve a future oriented and scalable network solution.

CITY NETWORK AMSTERDAM & FRANKFURT COBRA FIBER OPTIC CABLE EEMSHAVEN - ENDRUP DENSE NETWORK IN THE NETHERLANDS › 14,000 KM

Relined B.V. Clarissenhof 1b 4133 AB Vianen The Netherlands T +31 (0)347 358 010 E sales@relined.eu www.relined.eu

companies to believe in the area and

GAINING SUPPORT

pioneered the way.

To gain further clout, the company

“Most energy companies were

appointed Deloitte to undertake an

scared at doing structured deals, so it

essential market analysis on the data

was a different time. The other thing

port area. Finding Eemshaven to have

was asking fibre developers to join.

future potential, Groningen Seaports

We partnered with Relined as it was

also appointed specialists who worked

the first company with a network in

specifically for technology companies,

the Eemshaven area.�

such as Microsoft, Google and Apple.

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Your datacenter running on additional renewable energy in 2020?

Wind farm Delfzijl currently supplying GOOGLE datacenter Eemshaven

Working with partners

Eneco Group

Brands & Business Units

Green Data Port

We make it happen. When you decide to build your datacenter in Green

together and helping to find solutions to a wide range of energy

Data Port Eemshaven, we will take care of the availability of more

issues. We cannot realize these ambitions by ourselves. It’s possible

than 230MW (+/-650 GWh) of additional, green and local energy.

only when we connect ideas, technologies, people and companies.

An abundance of space, close to wind- and solarfarms

That’s why we’re working together with startups, universities, research institutes and other innovative organizations on innovative

We work together with or on assignment for customers. We invest

energy services that give consumers and companies control over

with partners in the sustainable production of electricity and heat and

their own energy. This is how we’re making green energy accessible,

cold. That way, we use each other’s knowledge to realize a greater

affordable and scalable. Enhanced by one of the most reliable grids in

production capacity with the same financial resources.

Europe, with enough power supply for any datacenter development in the future.

We have only one planet. Every year, worldwide we take 1.6 times more out of our planet than it can cope. Our goal is to guide the

We take this responsibility seriously. In the countries in which

energy consumption of our company and our customers within the

we’re active, we work together with (local) governments, energy

planet’s recovery capacity. All our activities are aimed at preventing

cooperatives and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as

further global warming. We’re doing this not just for ourselves but

the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). In the Netherlands, Eneco Group is

also for future generations. More and more people and companies are

one of the founders of the Dutch Association for Sustainable Energy,

becoming aware of the way they live. And more and more of them are

an association that combines the forces of its members so that we

taking matters into their own hands. Eneco Group is helping people

can speed up the energy transition together. So we don’t just provide

and companies to make an energy transition.

support with capital but also by sharing knowledge and experience

Our mission, “Everybody’s sustainable energy”, is the basis for the

Want to know more about our 230MW projects for Green Data Port Eemshaven?

innovative energy solutions we want to develop so that people can determine where and how they generate, use, store and share clean energy. We’re convinced that this is the way to achieve a liveable planet. Eneco Group isn’t a traditional energy company. The energy

Click here to find out more

transition requires us to work together in a different way. The current customer-supplier relationship is disappearing. Individuals, companies, municipalities and other market parties are now working with each

Joost de Boer

other in multiple changing roles. Eneco Group – with its numerous

Manager the Nederlands–North for Eneco Group

brands and business units – is the connecting link bringing parties

joost.deboer@eneco.com | +31 (0)6 – 55 69 70 91

Welcome to the new world.

“It’s a pretty strong story with a lot of partnerships, but these companies are

Haskoning DHV is independent, it believes in the story and has a strong

also competing against one another with advisory opinion.” Van Tuinen says. more renewable project coming online in the next few years,” adds Van Tuinen.

“We have a partnership with Eneco, but also with other energy companies,

“They look not just at land development but also cooling. They believe Eemshaven is a good area; it has lots of air, good quality, good wind, and is one of

which is why we call them ‘preferred sup- the best locations. The company also pliers’. Of course, data centre companies bought investors to our port. When are free in who they want to work with” Additionally, the company’s strong

they’re busy with conducting business, they use Eemshaven as an example port.”

partnership with Royal Haskoning DHV has provided support across its data

GREEN DATA PORT

centre operations.

Harnessing a combination of green

“We asked Royal Haskoning DHV to

energy, the largest onshore wind farm

inform companies of our technology mis- is located in Eemshaven together with sion and why they believe Eemshaven is a multiple substations connecting good area for their data centres. Royal

Danish and Dutch offshore wind farms, w w w. g r o n i n g e n - s e a p o r t s . c o m

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“ ROYAL HASKONING DHV IS INDEPENDENT, IT BELIEVES IN THE STORY AND HAS A STRONG ADVISORY OPINION” — Robert Van Tuinen, Manager for Energy & Dataport

besides the 30MW solar farm, iSunport Delfzijl, the largest solar energy park in the country, all of which fall under Groningen Seaports’ umbrella.

“If you look for the major developments worldwide, it clearly makes sense to think about data centres. However, to be honest, we didn’t expect such a demand for land usage,” reflects Van Tuinen. “I don’t think the sector itself could have foreseen how much land it would need for further growth”.

“Google has recently purchased all green electricity generated at Sunport Delfzijl for 10 years as part of a second deal with Eneco on top of the earlier energy deal combined with a local Eneco windfarm. The company recently announced another €500mn investment after €950mn spent over the last couple of years. This is great news for our region, which has shown great support for the data port development. The challenge was that we

w w w. g r o n i n g e n - s e a p o r t s . c o m

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needed to develop more land close to

Marc Oman, EU Energy Lead at

the port, anticipating all further growth

Google recently commented in a press

from the data centre sector itself.”

release: “We are proud that our data

“We did this in partnership with the

centre in Eemshaven has been powered

local government and environmental

by renewable energy since day one

organisations, who saw an opportunity

thanks to our agreements with Dutch

to combine green energy and recreate

suppliers. After the agreement with

some major values before it was all

Eneco for the delivery of wind energy

agricultural. A data centre provider

from WindPark Delfzijl and the agree-

must feel comfortable with their invest-

ments with the wind parks Krammer and

ment, of course, which has to do with

Bouwdokken, we are pleased that we

the local support,” adds van Tuinen.

can now also make use of solar energy.

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The Vole au vent jack-up vessel

Click to watch: ‘Googles EU data centre community Stories from the Netherlands’ 15

“Google is the world’s largest corpo-

“The ‘plug and play’ model has also

rate purchaser of renewable energy.

helped with the technical part. Through

Contracts like this also give companies

our partnerships we secured extra

like Eneco the economic certainty to

international fibre, boosted cooling

invest in new renewable energy capacity.” water facilities, reinvestments, and of course the redundant power connec-

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKBONE

tions with the grid operator.”

In order to strengthen its connectivity

Additionally, by attracting investors

capabilities, Groningen Seaports has

from fibre companies, it has attracted

worked to house a ‘plug and play model’

essential fibre packages, with low latency

across its operations, where its need for routes crossing Amsterdam, Germany, cooling water and redundant power is

Denmark and other parts of Scandinavia.

set apart from its power purchase

“Data centre companies need a cer-

agreement based on green energy.

tain amount of connectivity via separate w w w. g r o n i n g e n - s e a p o r t s . c o m

routes or a different fibre system.

interesting market for data centres and

If you want to attract various new

not just the Google’s of this world,” Van

economy industries, this is essential,”

Tuinen says earnestly.

says Van Tuinen.

“The most important thing is that

By combining green energy cables across the Northsea with essential

we succeeded in enabling Google to

fibre packages, the company has man-

work with Eneco. It was a new project

aged to reduce costs significantly and

and provided an opportunity for

created the fastest route between the

Google to harness green energy. They

Netherlands and Denmark with Eem-

have run on green energy from day

shaven becoming a fibre and data

one and enhanced major green

roundabout in North West Europe

investments in the region.”

thanks to Relined’s network.

With greater demand for green

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GROWING DEMANDS

energy on a global scale, the compa-

“The Netherlands has proven to be an

ny’s largest wind farm is set to grow

a further 200MW in the next three

“Everybody needs to keep pace with

years, providing time to further

a new economy,” he concludes. “The

enhance its data centre operations.

good news is that all political parties in

“Demand for land in Eemshaven is

Groningen are very supportive towards

rising fast, not just from the data centre

data centres, the automotive sector

sector but also with the launch of elec-

and the new economy. It provides a

tric and hybrid cars. The automotive

good combination of economic oppor-

sector is looking at Eemshaven and are

tunities together with boosting on and

interested in port areas where they can

offshore green power.”

develop their newly-built cars, which is really cool. It is something we are anticipating now, but we weren’t three years ago. This sector is again new economy industry, which fits well with the infra-

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structure at our port,” says Van Tuinen.

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Handelskade Oost 1

9934 AR Delfzijl Netherlands T +31 596 640 400

www.groningen-seaports.com