European Edge data center operator nLighten has signed a renewable supply agreement with Conrad Energy to power its portfolio of UK facilities.

The deal is part of a broader partnership between the two companies, which was initially signed in April 2024 and expanded upon in January through the introduction of detailed tracking and reporting capabilities.

According to the companies, the agreement differs from a traditional Power Purchase Agreement through the provision of enhanced monitoring, which allows nLighten to monitor consumption at the asset level and on an hourly basis.

“This collaboration goes beyond what most energy suppliers currently offer in the UK,” said Francesco Marasco, VP of energy operations & sustainability at nLighten. “Not only can we align our procurement with real-time pricing, but we now also have full transparency over how – and where – our renewable energy is being generated. It’s another step toward building the most sustainable Edge data center platform in Europe.”

Conrad has onboarded all of nLighten’s meters and provides the company with a monthly breakdown of its renewable energy supply. The breakdown includes asset-level insights into the share of wind, solar, and biomass sources contributing to the energy mix.

“We’re proud to support nLighten’s efforts to lead the way in data center sustainability,” says Tim Foster, director of Energy for Business at Conrad Energy. “By combining flexible supply structures with granular data visibility, we’re helping digital infrastructure operators align more closely with today’s energy realities and decarbonization goals.”

The agreement follows the same model as the renewable supply agreement it signed with Shell in April to power its MAD1 Edge data center in Madrid.

nLighten was founded in 2021 by global infrastructure investor I Squared Capital using assets from Exa Infrastructure. It currently has 34 data centers across the UK, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and Belgium. The company bolstered its position in the UK market through a 2023 acquisition of Proximity Data Centres, which at the time operated ten data centers in the UK.

Last April, the company acquired a further seven data centers across Europe from sister company Exa.

Conrad Energy is a UK-based energy company. It offers a diversified portfolio of generation assets, ranging from thermal generation to renewable energy. According to its Fuel Mix Disclosure Statement for the period April 2023 to March 2024, 4.2 percent of its power was generated from coal, 23.5 percent from natural gas, 8.5 percent from nuclear, and 61.9 percent from renewable resources. The company currently has 83 operational and in-construction sites with the capacity to generate up to 983MW of power.