NTT DATA, a global leader in digital business and technology services, has announced a waste heat recovery project at its Berlin 1 Data Centre in the Spandau district of Berlin.
The company will provide heat for a new residential and commercial development, “Das Neue Gartenfeld.”
As part of this project, up to 8 MW of heating capacity will be supplied from two Spandau data centres for the project with Quartierswerk Gartenfeld GmbH, a joint venture between ENGIE Deutschland and GASAG Solution Plus.
Das Neue Gartenfeld, a 76+ acre development in Berlin-Spandau, will feature 4,500 apartments, 200 commercial units, and facilities such as daycare centers and schools, serving more than 10,000 people.
The required heat will be generated in an on-site energy centre and distributed through a local heating network. The district utility's energy centre will receive the carbon-free excess heat via a 2 km pipeline.
The heat, generated by IT systems, maintains a temperature of 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, providing an optimal and reliable source for heat pumps to achieve the 65 degrees Celsius needed for the local heating network. The maximum thermal power provision is set at 8 MW.
Konstantin Hartmann, managing director EMEA, at NTT DATA’s data centre division, NTT Global Data Centres, said that when planning new data centres, the use of waste heat is usually already taken into account.
“However, solutions for existing data centres are rare,” he said.
“The use of waste heat, which NTT Global Data Centres has been practicing for years, to heat its own offices or to preheat emergency power generators, is also rare.
“We have collaborated with all parties to find the most technically and economically viable solutions. Together with our project partners, we are implementing what is likely the largest waste heat recovery project in Germany from existing data centres.
“This demonstrates that carbon-free waste heat at 20 to 30 degrees Celsius can be sustainably and efficiently used for a large district."
To manage peak loads in winter, a 3.6 MW power-to-heat boiler will be installed, along with a 300 cubic meter hot water tank. Construction of the energy centre will begin in early 2026, with the local heat supply from the data centre expected to start by the end of 2026.
Niklas Wiegand, managing director of ENGIE Deutschland, said the companychose a decentralized heat supply integrating an existing heat source.
“By utilizing thermal energy from the NTT DATA data centre, we save approximately 6,000 tons of CO2 annually and provide self-sufficient heat to the district,” Wiegand said.