TelecityGroup, the major European data center services provider, announced a project to install a cooling system that will use natural groundwater for free-cooling capacity at its Amsterdam data center.

Called Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES), the system will push water warmed by excess heat from the data center floor to the natural underground wells. There it will be chilled in the winter and used in the summer to cool the data center.

Alexandra Schless, Telecity’s managing director for the Netherlands, said ATES systems had been widely used across the Netherlands, but never for such a large-scale data center application.

“TelecityGroup is dedicated to driving innovation in the industry and maximizing the energy efficiency of our operations by developing solutions that complement regional conditions,” she said.

The Amsterdam Southeast (AMS 5) data center is one of the most connected facilities in Europe. That is due to its hosting a point of presence of the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS IX), which connects about 500 member networks.

The data center’s first phase was launched earlier this year. Once fully built out, it will provide about 65,000 sq ft of raised floor for customer use.

IN addition to the Netherlands, Telecity has data centers in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden.