EcoCeres and GDS launch first HVO-powered data centre backup pilot

EcoCeres Inc has launched a pilot with GDS Holdings Ltd (GDS), a leading developer and operator of high performance data centres in China, to use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a low carbon replacement for conventional diesel in backup power.
The partnership marks one of the first applications of HVO in China’s internet data center (IDC) sector and showcases a full circular economy model from waste collection to low carbon power.
As part of the pilot, EcoCeres has supplied HVO to a GDS data centre in North China, where it is used as a direct, drop-in replacement for diesel in the sites’ backup generators.
“Partnering with GDS shows how HVO can help decarbonise mission critical infrastructure without compromising reliability,” said Matti Lievonen, CEO of EcoCeres.
“By turning used cooking oil into renewable backup power for GDS, we are putting the circular economy concept into practice and proving how HVO can empower low carbon computing power and enable a greener future. This pilot is an important first step towards large scale adoption of waste based HVO in China’s rapidly growing IDC sector.”
The project validates the feasibility of using waste-derived, drop-in HVO to effectively reduce Scope 1 emissions amid rapid data centreexpansion.