Pan-European Edge data center developer nLighten has signed a renewable energy supply agreement covering its entire French data center portfolio.

The deal pairs Axpo, Switzerland’s largest power producer, with an unnamed independent power producer (IPP) in a three-party agreement that will provide nLighten with hourly insight into the source of its renewable power.

As part of the deal, Axpo will supply electricity to nLighten’s French sites and will manage the renewable output from the IPP’s wind portfolio. The wind power will subsequently be allocated to nLighten on an hourly basis, and when that output drops, Axpo will fill the gap to maintain uptime.

Axpo senior originator, Matthieu Espinas, said: “We’re proud to support nLighten’s ambitious sustainability goals through this innovative supply model. By combining the reliability of traditional energy supply with transparent renewable generation tracking, we’re helping to bring new levels of accountability to the French data center market.

“This partnership demonstrates that flexible, transparent energy solutions are not only possible but commercially viable in France.”

According to nLighten, the setup will provide it with asset-level visibility into its renewable sourcing, rather than relying on annual certificates or grid-average carbon data. This will allow it to track generation from specific wind assets in real time.

“This partnership represents an opportunity to fundamentally change how we approach energy procurement in France,” said Francesco Marasco, VP of Energy Operations & Sustainability at nLighten.

“While France’s grid already benefits from significant carbon-free nuclear generation, this agreement puts us in the driving seat in terms of knowing exactly where our renewable energy comes from. It helps us maintain transparency and control over our energy sourcing, protecting us from potential changes in grid composition.”

The agreement is part of nLighten’s broader European strategy. The company has similar deals in Spain with Shell and in the UK with Conrad Energy, each designed to provide granular renewable tracking rather than annual certificate purchases.

The company operates seven data centers in the French market, which it acquired from Euclyde Data Centers in 2023. The locations are all Edge data centers and are located in Sophia-Antipolis, Paris (two sites), Lyon, Besançon, and Strasbourg.

Founded in 2021, the company currently operates 34 data centers in Europe. Last April, the company acquired seven data centers across Europe from sister company Exa.