PLATFORM

The partnership’s first project is a US$2bn investment to build one of the largest data centers in India

Digital Edge (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd. (“Digital Edge”), National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (“NIIF”) and AGP DC InvestCo Pte Ltd (“AGP”) have entered into a partnership to develop a pan-India portfolio of hyperscale data centers. The facilities will operate under the brand name Digital Edge DC and intend to support the country’s ongoing digital transformation and provide much needed capacity to the rapid growth of India’s cloud industry. The partnership’s first project is a greenfield 300MW hyperscale facility in Navi Mumbai, which is the country’s biggest data center hub offering easy access to infrastructure, including power and fiber connectivity. The facility will be one of the largest data centers in India and is designed to cater to hyperscale deployments, leveraging Digital Edge’s cutting-edge engineering architecture to achieve market leading PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) and WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness). Construction of the 47 acre site will commence in early 2023 and the facility will be built in multiple phases. Upon completion, the data center will be fully operated by and marketed by Digital Edge DC.

This partnership with NIIF and AGP marks Digital Edge’s entry into the India market, growing its platform to six countries across Asia. NIIF will leverage its local and operational expertise in developing platforms as well as its strong infrastructure investment experience, and AGP, a sustainable-focused real assets manager, will bring on-the-ground real estate development and construction experience. The partnership aims to source power for its portfolio of data centers predominantly from renewable energy sources, drawing on the partner’s renewable energy development capabilities. According to IDC, India’s public cloud services market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.1% for the period 2020-2025[1], driven largely by the accelerated adoption of digital transformation initiatives, the roll out of 5G telecom services across the country and the expected transition to hybrid work following the COVID-19 pandemic. This combined with India’s significant population – which is also the highest data consumer in the world – is further fuelling demand for the local data center industry which, according to Structure Research, is expected to grow to 1073MW of IT load capacity by 2026[2].

Andrew Thomas, Senior Managing Director at Stonepeak, said, “We believe that this is an opportune time for Digital Edge to enter the market in Navi Mumbai. Critical data center infrastructure has a long runway for growth in the country as India’s digital economy continues to rapidly expand. We have been excited to partner with the Digital Edge team since the platform’s inception in 2020 and, in NIIF and AGP, we have found ideal partners to expand into India.”

Vinod Giri, Managing Partner of the NIIF’s infrastructure fund, said, “Through this platform, NIIF aims to play a key role in building quality digital infrastructure to support the Government of India’s vision to transform the country into a global data center and cloud computing hub. The platform resonates with NIIF’s investment philosophy of developing infrastructure at scale and partnering with large, credible, well-governed companies that want to expand into India. We are excited to partner with highly capable and experienced industry partners, Digital Edge and AGP, who have a track record of delivering similar largescale projects across other countries in the region.”

Samuel Lee, Chief Executive Officer at Digital Edge, remarked, “This project is another key milestone in our ongoing growth journey and adds breadth and depth to our regional platform which now spans 16 data centers across six Asian markets. NIIF and AGP bring solid local know-how to our data center expertise, making a strong combination when it comes to executing the project at speed and to international standards.” He added, “Our mission is to build the foundation for the world’s digital future and we are excited to enter this dynamic market and contribute to India’s incredible digital transformation.”

Ben Salmon, Founding Partner of AGP, added, “AGP is excited to be partnering with Digital Edge and NIIF for the build out of this new Indian data center platform. The collaboration of skill sets between the partners positions us well to support the much needed expansion of India’s critical digital infrastructure and deliver to the high standards of hyperscale customers.”

Source: PTI

INDIA, UAE CLOSE TO DEAL ON RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY GRID LINK: RK SINGH

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are close to a “major agreement” on a renewable energy interconnection between the two countries, India’s Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy said. Raj Kumar Singh, who is visiting the Gulf Arab oil producer for the International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) assembly in Abu Dhabi, of which India is currently president, told Reuters the agreement was awaiting final approvals. He did not elaborate on a time frame.

There is a major agreement for an interconnection between the UAE electricity grid, and the Indian grid, Singh said, adding that this would be under the One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative by a group of countries to create renewable energy networks. “Both sides have agreed,” he said. “We believe it will come.”

The OSOWOG initiative, first proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to transfer renewable energy power through connecting grids. Raj Kumar Singh said the UAE has also indicated it would like to invest more in India’s renewable energy projects, including solar and wind.

India and the UAE also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on January 13 on green hydrogen development, produced using renewable energy, India’s embassy in the UAE said on Twitter. The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation declined to provide an immediate comment. Last year, the Gulf state concluded a broad trade agreement with India that aims to increase bilateral non-oil trade to $100 billion in the next five years.

Raj Kumar Singh gave his backing to the UAE as host for the COP28 climate conference this year and also supports Sultan Al Jaber, who is head of state oil company ADNOC and the UAE’s climate envoy, as president-designate of COP28.Jaber’s appointment drew criticism from some activists concerned about fossil fuel interests hijacking the global response to the environmental crisis.

“He (Jaber) is the point man for renewables, for climate change,” the Indian minister said. “When you look at energy transition you look at the whole energy sector, the whole basket, and in the oil and gas sector too, he’s been working on green initiatives.” Jaber is also the UAE’s minister of industry and advanced technology and helped to establish Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy firm Masdar in 2006.

The UAE and other Gulf energy producers have called for a realistic transition in which hydrocarbons would keep a role in energy security while making commitments to decarbonisation.

Source: PTI

NEARLY ONE BILLION SERVED BY HEALTHCARE FACILITIES WITHOUT RELIABLE ELECTRICITY: REPORT

Access to electricity is critical for quality healthcare provision, from delivering babies to managing emergencies like heart attacks, or offering lifesaving immunization. Without reliable electricity in all healthcare facilities, Universal Health Coverage cannot be reached, the report notes, according to a WHO press statement. The joint report, Energizing Health: Accelerating Electricity Access in Health-Care Facilities, presents the latest data on electrification of healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries. It also projects investments required to achieve adequate and reliable electrification in health-care and identify key priority actions for governments and development partners.

The report states that electricity is needed to power the most basic devices – from lights and communications equipment to refrigeration, or devices that measure vital signs like heartbeat and blood pressure – and is critical for both routine and emergency procedures. When healthcare facilities have access to reliable sources of energy, critical medical equipment can be powered and sterilized, clinics can preserve lifesaving vaccines, and health workers can carry out essential surgeries or deliver babies as planned.

“And yet, in South Asia and sub-Saharan African countries, more than 1 in 10 health facilities lack any electricity access whatsoever, the report finds, while power is unreliable for a full half of facilities in sub-Saharan Africa,” the joint report said.

Electricity access in healthcare facilities can make the difference between life and death,” said Dr Maria Neira, Assistant Director-General a.i, for Healthier Populations at WHO. “Investing in reliable, clean and sustainable energy for health-care facilities is not only crucial to pandemic preparedness, it’s also much needed to achieve universal health coverage, as well as increasing climate resilience and adaptation.”

Although there has been some progress in recent years on electrification of health-care facilities, approximately 1 billion people worldwide are served by health-care facilities without a reliable electricity supply or no electricity at all. According to the report, disparities in electricity access within countries are also stark. Primary healthcare centres and rural health facilities are considerably less likely to have electricity access than hospitals and facilities in urban areas. Electricity access is a major enabler of Universal Health Coverage, the report states, and so electrification of healthcare facilities must be considered an utmost development priority requiring greater support and investments from governments, development partners and financing and development organizations.

Source: ANI