On 22 October, the BNP Paribas Group officially laid the foundation stones for two new data centres to be built at Vaux-sur-Sûre and Bastogne, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, the burgomaster of Vaux-sur-Sûre, Yves Besseling and of Bastogne, Benoît Lutgen, together with Elie Deblire, the President of Idelux, alongside BNP Paribas Chairman Baudouin Prot.
Almost two years after announcing its intention to set up two new data centres in Belgium, the BNP Paribas Group today broke ground at the construction sites at the Nives Business Park at Vaux-sur-Sûre and at Bastogne.
This building project is part of an overall plan to equip the Group with four data centres, two in France and two in Belgium. The Belgian premises represent an investment of over €200 million and will lead to the creation of between 70 and 80 direct or indirect jobs.
Partnering with Idelux and local authorities
The sites offered by Idelux, the business development agency in Belgium’s Luxembourg province, were chosen in preference to other possible sites in Belgium and France on the basis of a set of very strict criteria. In addition to the availability of an adequate surface area, criteria include the installed electric power capacity (30 MW at each site), easy access to the motorway network, the density of the telecommunications network, favourable geographical and geological features and the security situation. The assistance provided by Idelux in the planning process, the professionalism shown by the agency and its multi-disciplinary teams, plus its ability to unite the various public authorities involved, were also a strong contributory factor in BNP Paribas’ decision.
Each of the data centres will comprise three technical and IT buildings with a floor area of some 8,000 m², plus a logistics building of 1,200 m². In the longer term, buildings totalling over 50,000 m² of space will be made available to the data centres at the two sites
The data centres, for which ISO 27001 certification will be sought, will be brought into service in three stages over a period of 15 years. The first IT and logistics buildings are scheduled to become operational in spring 2015. Subsequent stages are planned for 2020 and 2025.
Environmentally-friendly cooling technology
Based on the very latest technology, the new data centres are designed to meet the most demanding modern standards of energy efficiency, thus helping to reduce the Group’s carbon footprint. « One of the basic requirements in our planning was the need for high energy efficiency and the use of ‘green’ technology in these Generation 3+ data centres », underlined Jacques Godet, Head of Technology, Operations & Property Services at BNP Paribas Fortis, explaining: « The buildings are therefore being tailored to the new generation of high-density servers. By using innovative technology we will be able to attain an energy efficiency rating of 1.3, a 30% improvement on current performance ».
The technique which will be mainly responsible for this improvement in the energy performance of the new data centres is known as ‘free cooling’, an approach which consists of making maximum use of cooler air from outside to regulate the temperature of the building and the installed IT equipment so as to reduce the need to use electricity in the cooling process.
The design plans also pay particular to attention to the need to harmonise the buildings with their environment. The materials chosen will help the data centres to blend into the surrounding landscape.
« In making this investment, BNP Paribas is delighted to further strengthen its already strong roots in Belgium, while ensuring that the Group will have the means to cope with the expansion of its business and serve a wider clientele », underlined BNP Paribas Group Chairman Baudouin Prot.
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About BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) has a presence in 80 countries with nearly 190,000 employees, including more than 145,000 in Europe. It ranks highly in its three core activities: Retail Banking, Investment Solutions and Corporate & Investment Banking. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the leader in consumer lending. BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail banking model across Mediterranean basin countries, in Turkey, in Eastern Europe and a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Investment Banking and Investment Solutions activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas and solid and fast-growing businesses in Asia-Pacific.
BNP Paribas Fortis (www.bnpparibasfortis.com) offers the Belgian market a comprehensive package of financial services for private individuals, the self-employed, professionals, SMEs and public organisations. In the insurance sector, BNP Paribas Fortis works closely with Belgian market leader AG Insurance. The bank also provides wealthy individuals, corporations and public and financial institutions with custom solutions for which it can draw on BNP Paribas’ know-how and international network.
About Idelux
Idelux, the business development agency in Belgium’s Luxembourg province, works in tandem with the province authorities and those of the 44 ‘communes’ (administrative districts) within the province, supported by a number of private sector shareholders. It is part of the Idelux-Aive group, which employs 500 staff and recorded a turnover of €99 million for fiscal 2012.
Idelux manages 48 business parks with a ground area totalling 1,500 hectares, with 21 office service and logistical support centres, plus three Business Centres, providing a total of 100,000 m² of office and work space available to companies. These parks are currently home to some 600 companies employing around 12,000 people.
Idelux’s mission is to promote economic development in the Province, providing assistance and support to companies with a view to their long-term success. The services provided by Idelux include: conducting a search for suitable sites, renting buildings and office space, providing administrative support, interfacing with the local authorities, arranging introductions to potential business partners, support for innovation, recruitment search, arranging finance, legal support, obtention of town planning and environmental permits, and communication assistance.
With over 50 years of business experience, Idelux is a strong force in the economic development of the Province and a reliable partner to companies wishing to set up and grow their business in Belgian Luxembourg.