atNorth’s waste heat to heat K-Supermarket in Finland for the first time

Article published by Kesko 14 April

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Finland, waste heat from atNorth’s new FIN02 data center in Espoo will be used to heat the adjacent K-Supermarket Mankkaa. The innovative collaboration between atNorth and Kesko significantly reduces carbon emissions and supports both companies’ ambitious sustainability targets.

By repurposing waste heat from cooling IT equipment, the store will cover nearly all of its heating needs—cutting Kesko’s overall district heating emissions by nearly 1%. The waste heat provided is equivalent to the annual heating energy consumption of around 120 small homes.

The partnership forms part of Kesko’s broader climate goals, which include a 50% cut in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2034. Installation of the heat recovery system is planned for autumn 2025, with heat delivery expected to begin between November 2025 and January 2026.

“This is one of our most impactful single emission reduction projects this year,” says Antti Kokkonen, Director of Energy at Kesko. “It shows the potential of local partnerships in achieving real climate action.”

“atNorth wants to create long-term value for the communities where we operate. Our new data center is designed to support both Finnish and international companies with their growing digital needs, providing secure and energy-efficient spaces for businesses to run and store their data”, says Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson, CEO atNorth. 

Read the whole Press release by Kesko here.