Datum opens sustainable MCR2 data centre in Manchester

Datum Data Centres opened its MCR2 facility in Manchester in July. MCR2 will take a central role in Manchester’s growing technology economy, providing enterprise-grade data centre capabilities.

The construction of MCR2 has been part of the regeneration of Wythenshawe, which will benefit from investment of £500 million over the next decade. Datum said that its decision to build a second facility in Manchester was driven by the region’s continually growing need for high-quality, purpose-built data centre facilities.

MCR2 is designed with underlying sustainability principles, which included an embodied carbon assessment at design stage. The centre is powered entirely by sustainable energy sources and includes a solar PV roof and emergency generators that run on HVO biofuels. By incorporating energy-efficient systems, MCR2 helps tenants and their clients meet ESG targets. 

The MCR2 building also includes heat reuse capability. It is designed to transfer excess heat from the cooling system to a nearby local heat network – potentially heating 700 to 1,500 homes planned 20 metres from the site.