CyrusOne and E.ON form strategic partnership

CyrusOne and E.ON have entered into a Preferred Partnership agreement to design and deliver local power generation solutions for data centers.

In an industry first, the companies’ Preferred Partnership agreement enables them to work together to unlock future energy projects in Frankfurt – Europe’s largest data center hub which is currently constrained by limited grid capacity and connection delays – and more widely across the continent.In addition to local power generation solutions, the Partnership will collaborate on grid support, power purchase agreements and heat management. Fundamentally, the Partnership seeks to offer near term capacity for customers in important availability zones in gateway markets with delayed access to grid capacity.

The first initiative in the Partnership will see E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) design a local power generation system, named E.ON IQ Energy® Center, to supply CyrusOne FRA7, a state-of-the-art hyperscale data center in Griesheim, Germany.

This local power generation system will supplement the existing power supply to deliver an additional 61 megawatts of electrical output to the facility by 2029, expanding the campus to offer a further 45 megawatts of IT capacity to customers – bringing the FRA7 campus’ total IT capacity to 126 megawatts.

“We are thrilled to announce this Partnership with E.ON to provide customers with a runway to large scale growth without utility risk by 2029. By leveraging the complementary expertise of both companies to scale innovative technologies, we are creating a unique opportunity to offer growth capacity for customers in their most important markets,” said Matthew Pullen, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Europe at CyrusOne. “Our scalable platform will set new industry standards for the integration of advanced energy solutions, offering a replicable model for future data centers and setting the pace for European innovation in sustainable infrastructure.”

“This Partnership brings together two industry-leading companies to accelerate a sustainable digital future, developing solutions that provide both power and cooling to the data center and heat to the campus,” said Marten Bunnemann, CEO at E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions. “What sets this Partnership apart is its strategic depth: a long-term alliance built on shared vision, technical integration, and real benefits for customers and the wider community.”

Energy Efficiency through Local Power Generation on the FRANKFURT WESTSIDE Campus

CyrusOne’s FRA7 data center forms part of the FRANKFURT WESTSIDE campus, a 73-hectare commercial and industrial mixed-use regeneration project managed by BEOS AG and Swiss Life Asset Managers. In 2023, CyrusOne was selected to deliver a data center solution that prioritizes sustainability, is capable of deploying up to 40 megawatts of waste heat to the campus heating network when operating at full capacity, and aligns with BEOS’ commitment to creating spaces that support creativity, innovation, progress and productivity.

In line with CyrusOne’s sustainability goals and as part of the ongoing partnership with BEOS and Swiss Life Asset Managers, the proposed local power generation solution also places energy efficiency and environmental responsibility at its core.

In another industry first, the solution is expected to become the first of its kind to include a baseload cooling integration via absorption chillers designed to convert exhaust heat from the power generation process into cooling for the data center. This method is designed to increase overall system efficiency, reduce power consumption and significantly improve Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).

Uniquely, E.ON’s generation system is designed to produce power, cooling and heat through a combustion process which also qualifies CyrusOneto secure green certificates of origin – supporting its customers’ carbon neutrality targets. While natural gas will initially be used to fuel the plant, the system is designed to be hydrogen-ready and capable of operating with up to 25% hydrogen blended into the fuel mix, with the option to transition to 100% hydrogen through upgrades where demand exists.

The local power generation system is also engineered to significantly enhance the quality and usability of the data center’s waste heat by integrating exhaust heat from its absorption chiller, raising the output temperature by approximately 10°C.

In doing so, the scheme supports local energy resilience, infrastructure development, regulatory compliance, and the continued sustainability trajectory of the sector.