AirTrunk announces first data centre green loan in Japan
AirTrunk, a hyperscale data centre specialist, has closed a green loan in Japan as part of its new Green Financing Framework (The Framework).
The company suggests that the new Framework complements AirTrunk’s Sustainability Linked Loan (SLL), which was announced in late 2021. The green loan will finance AirTrunk’s recently announced 110+MW West Tokyo data centre, AirTrunk TOK2, and will be the first green loan for a data centre in Japan.
“We continue to drive sustainable innovation throughout the design, build, operations and financing of our data centres. The green loan closed today has set several industry benchmarks including being the first for a data centre in Japan, and first to use eligibility criteria based on operating PUE and water productivity,” said AirTrunk Chief Financial Officer, Prashant Murthy.
Creating a positive impact on the environment
The hyperscale data centre specialist is based in Australia and was acquired by Macquarie Group in 2020. The company develops and operates large scale wholesale data centres that lead the Asia Pacific market.
Its vision is to “continuously redefine and deliver the hyperscale data centres of tomorrow, in order to meet the needs of the world's most influential technology companies today and into the future.”
Under the Framework, AirTrunk’s green projects must meet certain eligibility criteria which have a positive impact on the environment, in order to be financed through green loans. The company has defined three categories as ‘green loan’ eligible – Green Data Centre, Renewable Energy and Water Efficiency.
Daisuke Nishiyama, Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Business Division, MUFG Bank, Ltd. said: “We are proud to be partnering with AirTrunk to execute the first green loan in the data centre sector in Japan, and drive innovation in the sustainable finance market. This green loan is in line with AirTrunk’s ambitious and first of its kind Green Financing Framework, and we are pleased to have played a part as a sustainability structuring agent in the development of this sector-leading framework. We look forward to our continued partnership and collaboration with AirTrunk.”