Latvian data center operator DEAC is buying renewable diesel fuel.

The operator, which has facilities in Riga and Vilnius, is buying MY Renewable Diesel from Neste, a company making sustainable diesel and aviation fuel from recycled waste products. The product is claimed to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent compared to fossil diesel.

DEAC began buying renewable energy in 2021 and plans to reach 100 percent green energy this year.

Reycled cooking oil

"In 2021, DEAC already switched to 100 percent renewable electricity from wind farms for managing the day-to-day data storage," said DEAC CEO Andris Gailitis. "We also upgraded the infrastructure to reduce the energy consumption and introduced an improved cooling system. Our cooperation with Neste and the supply of Neste MY Renewable Diesel enable our diesel generators to sustainably safeguard the data in emergency situations, like power outages. With this, we are happy to mark the switch to 100 percent renewable energy sources."

Neste claims to be the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel refined from waste and residues, with a revenue of nearly €12 billion ($13.4bn; for comparison, the total revenue of the oil industry in 2021 was $2.1 trillion). It also provides fossil replacement products for the plastics industry, and is hoping to introduce chemical recycling of plastic waste. The company hopes to cut its customers' greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 million tons annually by 2030. (that's roughly the emissions of two million people).

"We are pleased that global data centers, the backbone of the digital world, follow more resource-intensive industries in search of solutions for a more sustainable future. Cooperation with DEAC marks Neste's first time partnering with a data center" says Heidi Peltonen, responsible for sustainable partnerships in marketing and services, Neste.

Last year UK data center firm Kao Data announced it was switching from diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for its backup generators. It is sourcing the Neste-manufactured fuel from Crown Oil; the company said it would replace an initial 45,000 liters of diesel and switch to an HVO provision of more than 750,000 liters when its Harlow campus is fully developed.