Data centre waste heat to warm K-Supermarket in Espoo
Kesko's K-Supermarket Mankkaa in Espoo will utilize waste heat from a neighbouring data centre for its heating needs. The pilot project is expected to cover almost all of the store's heating energy consumption and significantly reduce its carbon emissions.
K-Supermarket Mankkaa, a grocery store in Espoo, and atNorth, a Nordic data centre operator, have launched a collaboration where waste heat generated from the data centre's cooling processes will be used to heat the supermarket. This pilot project marks the first of its kind in Finland and is projected to supply nearly all of the store's heating energy requirements.
The initiative is part of Kesko's broader strategy to reduce its emissions. The company has set a target to decrease its operational emissions (scope 1 and 2) by 50% by the end of 2034. A significant portion of these emissions stems from heating its properties, making innovative solutions crucial.
"Reducing emissions from property heating is a key measure to achieve our ambitious reduction targets. Through this collaboration, we will source almost all the necessary heating energy for the store from the data centre's waste heat," stated Antti Kokkonen, Director of Energy at Kesko. The amount of waste heat utilized is estimated to be equivalent to the annual district heating consumption of approximately 120 detached houses.
A heat pump system will be installed at K-Supermarket Mankkaa during the autumn of 2025. The store is expected to begin receiving waste heat between November 2025 and January 2026. This single store project alone is estimated to reduce Kesko's district heating-related emissions by approximately 0.9% annually, equating to a reduction of about 200 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.