INNIO and NorthC Datacenters to build hydrogen emergency backup power solution

INNIO today announced that its Jenbacher Ready for H2 engine technology has been selected by NorthC Datacenters (NorthC) to deliver an emergency backup power solution for its newest data center, which will be constructed in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Six Jenbacher hydrogen engines will provide carbon-free emergency backup power in cases of electricity grid outages. The Jenbacher Type 4 hydrogen engines generate a total power output of six megawatt and will be delivered as a containerized package. The Eindhoven data center including the hydrogen emergency backup power solution and the onsite hydrogen storage solution is a greenfield project, that is expected to be operational in the second half of 2023.

“We are excited and proud to build the first 100% green hydrogen emergency backup power solution with engines for data centers globally together with NorthC,” said Dr. Olaf Berlien, president and CEO of INNIO. “As a carbon-free energy source, hydrogen is an important pillar of the energy transition.”

“We selected INNIO’s Jenbacher technology to support our green hydrogen powered electricity generation because of their long-term experience and proven track record with special gases, like hydrogen,” said Jarno Bloem, COO of NorthC Datacenters. “With INNIO’s Jenbacher hydrogen emergency backup power solution coupled with the renewable power sources from the electricity grid, we are able to decarbonize our complete energy supply infrastructure.”

NorthC has implemented a strategy to be fully carbon neutral by 2030. This will be accomplished through four sustainability pillars: 100% green energy, modular construction, making efficient use of residual heat, and green hydrogen. The Eindhoven data center will be powered with solar and wind energy from the grid.

To provide additional flexibility and security to NorthC the six Jenbacher Type 4 engines are configured as dual-gas engines. In case of an electricity grid outage the engines are operated with the on-site stored hydrogen. For longer duration grid outages, NorthC has the option to switch to natural gas as an energy source during operation of the engines, in case of shortage in the H2 supply infrastructure. INNIO’s myPlant Performance cloud-based digital platform solution will provide NorthC secure, real-time monitoring of the emergency backup solution. The project supports the Netherlands strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.