Airtel to source 23,000 MWh renewables by Q4 for six Nxtra data centres

New Delhi: Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Monday said that it will purchase 23,000 MWh of renewable energy by March quarter of this fiscal for its data centre firm Nxtra.

"Bharti Airtel (Airtel) will purchase 23,000 MWh of renewable energy by Q4 FY 23-24 for its data centre company, Nxtra," a company statement said.

As part of its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, the Airtel will acquire stakes in the renewable energy project companies established by Continuum Green India Pvt Ltd and Vibrant Energy Holdings Pte. Ltd. to power six of Nxtra's Edge data centre facilities.

According to the statement, the purchase will be made through an open access route where Airtel will acquire stake in the project company of Continuum Green, which will supply green power from solar and wind power projects to its Edge data centres in Madhya Pradesh.

Airtel has also entered into a similar stake purchase agreement with the project company Vibrant Energy to supply solar power to its Edge data centre in Vijaywada.

With the addition of these new capacities, the total contracted renewable energy capacity for Nxtra data centres will have exceeded 274,000 MWh and it will be well on its way to establishing itself as the leader in building green data centres, it stated.

Ashish Arora, CEO - Nxtra by Airtel, said in a statement, "As a leader in India’s data centre industry, Nxtra is committed to become a net zero company by 2031. We believe that India's growth will be mirrored by its data centre industry growth in the coming years and are committed to reduce our carbon footprint and lead the green data centre infrastructure revolution in the country."

The Nxtra by Airtel has committed to reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its operations by 100 per cent, i.e., reaching net zero by FY2031 (with FY2021 as the base year).

It will achieve the goal through multiple interventions including accelerated green energy adoption across its operations, energy efficient infrastructure and processes as well as by implementing sustainable business practices at its workplace.

The Nxtra by Airtel offers India's largest network of secure, scalable and sustainable data centres across 120-plus locations to leading enterprises, hyperscalers, startups, SMEs and governments.

The company will invest Rs 5,000 crore to double its existing capacity to over 400 MW in the next few years.

This also includes investments in new facilities in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai.