NTT Data has launched a new waste heat recovery project in Berlin with Quartierswerk Gartenfeld GmbH, a joint venture between Engie Deutschland and GASAG Solution Plus.

The agreement will see 8MW of waste heat capacity from NTT’s 17MW Berlin 1 Data Center in the Spandau district of Berlin sent to “Das Neue Gartenfeld,” a new residential and commercial development in Berlin-Spandau.

Das Neue Gartenfeld is a 76+ acre development, which will include 4,500 apartments and 200 commercial units, in addition to facilities such as schools.

The heat will be generated in an onsite energy center, which is being developed by Quartierswerk Gartenfeld, and will subsequently be distributed through a local heating network.

The energy center will be supplied through a 2km (1.24 miles) pipeline from the data center. The excess heat will be maintained at a temperature between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius (68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Construction on the energy center is slated to begin in early 2026, with the heat supply expected to commence at the end of 2026.

Konstantin Hartmann, managing director EMEA at NTT Data’s data center division, said: “Together with our project partners, we are implementing what is likely the largest waste heat recovery project in Germany from existing data centers. This demonstrates that carbon-free waste heat at 20 to 30 degrees Celsius can be sustainably and efficiently used for a large district.”

In order to manage peak loads in the winter, the partners will install a 3.6MW power-to-heat boiler, as well as a 300 cubic meter (10,594 cubic feet) hot water tank.

“After evaluating several options, we chose a decentralized heat supply integrating an existing heat source. By utilizing thermal energy from the NTT Data data center, we save approximately 6,000 tons of CO2 annually and provide self-sufficient heat to the district,” Niklas Wiegand, managing director of Engie Deutschland, said.

The district heating agreement is NTT’s second in Germany, following a deal with Mainova last July to connect its 80MW Hattersheim data center campus in Frankfurt to the local utility’s district heating network.

NTT has several data centers either in operation or planned across Germany. Last July, a report surfaced that the company was planning a 500MW campus on a former army base just outside Frankfurt.

NTT also operates data centers in Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg. Much of the company’s German portfolio dates back to e-shelter, which NTT acquired in 2015 from ABRY and Investa Holding.