Milan, district heating is done by recovering heat from the data centre

Converting the heat produced by a data centre into district heating for over a thousand households. In Milan, the green light is given to the first industrial partnership in Italy between A2A, in collaboration with DBA Group and Retelit, thanks to the energy generated by 'Avalon 3', the telecommunications company's latest hyper-connected and sustainable data centre.

The project - which will benefit a nucleus of inhabitants in Milan's Municipality 6 - will allow 1,250 more households to be served per year, saving 1,300 tonnes of oil equivalent and avoiding the emission of 3,300 tonnes of CO2, with environmental benefits equal to the contribution of 24,000 trees.

The project envisages the construction of a plant, operational in early 2026, thanks to which the waste heat from Retelit's Avalon 3 datacenter - which with its over 3,500 square metres and 3.2 MW of power is the largest internet interconnection point in Italy - will be fed into the district heating infrastructure managed by A2A Calore e Servizi, increasing the green energy available to households in the city's western area. The facility will make 2.5 MWt of annual thermal power available to the grid and an increase of 15 GWh of recoverable energy.

The building housing Retelit's Avalon 3 datacenter is Frame Building, a property owned by SIC Sviluppo Immobiliare Corio, a family company that for generations has been a key player in Milan's urban development. Redeveloped by SIC in 2021, Frame Building is located in Milan's Bisceglie business district and extends six floors above ground, covering over 8,500 square metres. In addition to housing Avalon 3, Frame Building accommodates around 4,300 sqm of office space, including the new Italian head quarter of Omoda Italia, part of the Chery Group and a global automotive brand. The building has a green terrace of over 1,800 sqm for events and over 130 covered parking spaces, is Leed Gold Core and Shell certified and is powered by 100% renewable energy.

"Thanks to this industrial agreement, which makes it possible to realise the first project of this type in Italy," commented Luca Rigoni, CEO of A2A Calore e Servizi, "we will be the first to recover heat from the server cooling system that would otherwise be dispersed, bringing it to Milanese homes through our district heating network. An example of efficient and circular use of resources and a confirmation of our ongoing commitment to the decarbonisation of cities through innovative technologies".