6.9 MW of self-produced green energy, one step further to achieving LCL’s goal of climate neutrality by 2030

Diegem, Rumst, Kontich, Aalst, Antwerp, Huizingen and Gembloux – 26 February 2025 – Data center company LCL is installing three of its own wind turbines in Rumst, Kontich and Dendermonde, with a total capacity of 6.9 megawatts. This €13 million investment aims to expand the company’s supply of green energy, enabling greater energy independence, among other advantages. In this way, LCL underlines its pioneering role in all areas of environmentally friendly business practices. The company already has a solar park with 3,300 solar panels.

LCL is taking a new and major step in boosting its own energy supply, by commissioning three wind turbines. Each wind turbine has a capacity of 2.3 megawatts and can generate an average of 4,500,000 kWh of wind energy per year. These wind turbines are a key step towards the climate neutrality that LCL is aiming for by 2030, as well as greater energy independence.

The wind turbines represent an investment of around €13 million. In October 2024, LCL expanded its solar park from 2,000 to 3,300 solar panels. The company has strategically opted for a combination of solar and wind energy, because these two power sources are complementary: when the wind blows hard, there is often less sunshine. Moreover, wind energy ensures continuous power production, even at night and in winter. As a data center company, LCL can use all the power it generates, covering its electricity consumption day and night.

The hub of the wind turbines is 84 metres above the ground. The diameter of each blade is 82 metres. There are two wind turbines, one in Rumst and the other in Kontich, and these are now fully assembled. The third wind turbine is under construction in Dendermonde.

Target for 2030: 40% self-produced green energy for all LCL data centers

Laurens van Reijen, Managing Director of LCL Data Centers, said: “One of the KPIs that we included in our first sustainability report, two years ago, was to produce 40% of the energy we consume by 2030. LCL wants to link energy generation to its production, in this case via our own wind turbines.”

”We prefer to generate more power rather than to buy existing capacity. This means that more green energy is available rather than less. We can then play an active role in making the power grid greener, while contributing to the energy transition in our country,” added van Reijen.

Investing in wind turbines is a concrete step, in line with LCL’s CSRD objectives. The investment in wind energy contributes to:

• Greater energy independence, making LCL less dependent on external energy prices.
• Protection against price fluctuations in the energy market – which make up a significant part of the operational costs for a data center.

LCL plans to continue investing in its own green energy.

Climate neutrality

LCL links climate neutrality to its Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitment. This boils down to the following:

• 42% reduction of Scope 1 & 2 emissions, to be realised by 2030 (as determined by SBTi).
• LCL will offset the remaining emissions through sustainable projects for its infrastructure (such as replacing the diesel fuel used in the generators with HVO100, a 100% renewable fuel, increasing the temperature in cold corridors, and using more environmentally friendly fire extinguisher gases, etc.).