Verne introduces HVO fuel to London data centre

Verne announced today that its London data centre is transitioning from diesel fuel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) for its power generators – a switch expected to reduce net CO₂ emissions from backup power by up to 90%.

Sustainability has always been a fundamental part of Verne operations. While the company’s Nordic locations provide significant environmental advantages, Verne continues to seek innovative ways to minimise the environmental impact of all its data centre operations worldwide.

The company has formed a new partnership with Crown Oil to implement this transition at its London facility. This shift represents the most substantial single action the company can take locally to reduce its carbon footprint.

Verne’s London data centre campus is situated in the heart of the city. While this location offers exceptional connectivity advantages, it presents limited opportunities to generate renewable energy onsite beyond what is available from London’s power grid. The dense urban environment also restricts the use of solutions such as solar panels.

Adopting HVO will have a significant environmental impact. The company currently holds a greenhouse gas (GHG) permit as a small emitter. Switching to HVO will reduce emissions to such an extent that Verne will be able to surrender its permit, as carbon emissions will fall below the threshold requiring authorisation.

HVO is an advanced diesel alternative made entirely from renewable resources. It stands as one of the cleanest available fuels on the market today and can replace conventional diesel without requiring modifications to existing infrastructure.

Key benefits of HVO include:

Verne continually reviews and adjusts operations across all its data centre campuses to maximise sustainability. Last year, the company implemented a similar initiative when it switched to Neste renewable diesel to eliminate fossil fuels from its data centre operations in Finland.

Drawing comparisons to simple household changes – like switching to LED light bulbs – Verne recognises that even small adjustments across its data centres can lead to meaningful sustainability gains. The company continues to explore every opportunity to reduce environmental impact across its infrastructure.

Sustainability remains a core value at Verne, and is one of the guiding principles that influences not only how the organisation operates but how it enables customers to maximise their high-performance compute. By continuously improving sustainability measures, Verne enhances operational efficiency while making it easier for customers to run their workloads without environmental compromise.