atNorth says its heat reuse partnership with Kesko Corporation went live in November 2025, sending recycled data center heat from atNorth’s FIN02 facility in Espoo to a neighboring Kesko retail store in Finland. The companies say the recovered heat will cover almost all of the store’s heating demand, reducing the site’s reliance on district heating.
According to atNorth, the project is designed to repurpose “excess heat generated by the data center’s infrastructure” and deliver it to the adjacent Kesko branch. The companies frame the effort as part of circular economy operations, with the stated aim of lowering emissions for both organizations by displacing district heating consumption at the store.
Kesko links the project to its emissions targets, stating it is working toward a 58.8% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, and that heating is a major contributor. Kesko estimates the recycled heat from FIN02 will reduce its emissions associated with district heating by approximately 200 tons of CO₂ equivalent per year, which it says is about 0.9% of Kesko’s district heating emissions.
“Reducing emissions from the heating of our properties is a key priority within our sustainability strategy,” said Antti Kokkonen, Director of Energy at Kesko. “Through this collaboration with atNorth, we are able to significantly cut emissions at one of our stores while demonstrating how innovative partnerships can accelerate the transition to lower-carbon operations.”
For data center operators, heat reuse projects like this hinge on matching a steady, year-round heat source to a nearby thermal load that can take low-to-moderate temperature heat reliably. When that fit exists, exporting waste heat can improve the overall energy efficiency profile of a site, even if it doesn’t reduce the data hall’s electrical input.
Erling Gudmundsson, COO of atNorth, positioned the project as part of scaling “AI-ready digital infrastructure” with lower carbon impact: “This project demonstrates how data centers can become active contributors to local energy systems. By recycling excess heat, we can reduce our client’s environmental footprint while supporting our partners’ sustainability goals and delivering tangible benefits to the surrounding community.”
atNorth says FIN02 is part of its Nordic expansion strategy and that the company continues to pursue heat reuse partnerships. The company also cited other collaborations across its portfolio, including a community greenhouse in Akureyri, Iceland, and partnerships with Vestforbrænding in Denmark and Stockholm Exergi in Sweden to provide heat to local district heating networks.
atNorth did not disclose technical details such as heat capacity (kW or MW), supply/return temperatures, heat exchanger approach, or any commissioning and metering methodology for the Kesko store connection in the announcement.
Source: atNorth
