Botswana and Nigeria are in the data centre news after recent announcements signalling plans to develop facilities in both countries powered, in part, by renewable energy.
AAAS Energy, a Netherlands-based energy developer, and ChillMine, a US-based data centre operator, have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly develop a new data centre campus in Botswana designed to serve AI computing, global hyperscalers, and energy-intensive computing operations.
The campus will be built to meet the growing demand for reliable, scalable, and economically viable data infrastructure in the Southern African region. It will cater specifically to clients like large-scale cloud providers, who require vast amounts of uninterrupted, low-cost power to support their operations.
ChillMine Corporation specialises in the development and management of high-density computing facilities for enterprise and cryptocurrency mining applications; the latter is not specifically mentioned in this case but usually does require a lot of power.
AAAS Energy, which has a focus on developing large-scale energy projects across Southern Africa, will approach its joint development partner to include the data centre campus in an Energy Hub and Industrial Park near Palapye, a town situated about halfway between Francistown in the east and the capital Gaborone, further towards the southeast.
This consists of a 250MW solar PV project with a foreseen battery energy storage system (BESS) of about 100MW / 400MW, which is currently under development. This project has the potential to provide a consistent and powerful energy source, ensuring operational stability and efficiency for the data centre facilities.
Maarten Mennes, Managing Director of AAAS, explains: "By combining power from the solar PV + BESS project with natural gas projects in Botswana, currently being developed by third parties, we are creating a unique value proposition for global technology companies seeking to expand into Africa."
Nigeria, meanhile, is to get a new data centre located in Calabar Cross River State, after Nugi Group, a software development company, announced plans to build a Tier IV facility in Calabar, Cross River State, in the south of the country. The company says the initiative is designed to transform Nigeria's digital infrastructure and establish the country as an increasingly significant player in the global data economy.
According to the ITWeb Africa news service, Ugi Augustine, President and Solutions Architect of Nugi Group, calls the move a conscious decision to decentralise Nigeria's technological investments, which are frequently centred in Lagos and Abuja; he suggests that Cross River has the resources and cost advantages that make it an ideal choice.
The project relies on a combination of renewable and traditional energy sources. The site is near a waterfall to enable hydroelectric power generation, and there are plans to build a solar grid that can store energy for several months, as well as convert natural gas to electricity.
