atNorth and Kesoko ink heat recovery deal

The partnership with Kesko will enable waste heat from atNorth’s FIN02 data center in Sinimäki, Espoo, to be recovered and used as space heating for the neighboring Kesko store.

The heat provided will cover almost all of the heating energy required by the Kesko site, thereby supporting Kesko’s goal of a 50 percent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, a large portion of which results from the heating of its buildings.

The arrangement will enhance atNorth’s energy efficiency and reduce Kesko’s emissions from district heating use, decreasing the carbon footprint of both businesses and contributing to Finland’s circular economy.

One of the key goals of our ambitious sustainability strategy is to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions resulting from the heating of our properties. By collaborating with atNorth in just one store, we will reduce Kesko’s emissions from district heating use by 0.9 percent, saving approximately 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂eq) per year. As an individual project, this is one of our most significant CO₂ reduction initiatives this year, said Antti Kokkonen, Director of Energy at Kesko.

Secure power supply

atNorth has also entered into an agreement with Caruna to provide access to 45 MW of reliable power for its FIN02 data center.

atNorth’s investment in Espoo supports Caruna’s continual development and modernization of its power infrastructure for the benefit of the whole area.

Data centers play an important role in the long-term resilience of Finland’s power infrastructure and its economic growth as a whole. atNorth’s investment in Espoo supports the development of a carbon-free energy system through innovative heat reuse partnerships and promotes local employment opportunities. We are delighted to play our role in this data center ecosystem for the benefit of our community, said Kosti Rautiainen, EVP Customers and New Ventures at Caruna.

atNorth has been investing in Finland since early 2023 when it acquired two data centers from Advania, FIN01 and FIN03, which are strategically located metro sites within Helsinki’s digital landscape.

Since then, the business has been developing two additional data centers, the FIN02 site in Sinimäki, Espoo, which became operational in April 2025, and FIN04, a ‘mega site’ in Kouvola, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.

We are pleased to showcase beneficial collaborations that support our vision of data center ecosystems that fundamentally contribute to the communities in which we operate. By collaborating with like-minded businesses, we can not only mitigate our own carbon consumption but assist others, too. At the same time, supporting the investment in local power networks facilitates long-term power availability that benefits the local community as a whole, said Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson, CEO atNorth.