Exploring new energy supply options for powering the continent’s data centres

Mourad Younis, cloud and services provider segment leader, Schneider Electric, Middle East & Africa, explores new energy supply options for powering the continent’s data centres

Africa’s digital economy is scaling faster than its power systems. Cloud regions, artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, fintech, health platforms and government digitisation are all driving a wave of new data centres across the continent.

Yet too many of these facilities are still designed around a single assumption: when the grid fails, diesel will save the day. In an era of constrained grids, volatile fuel logistics and tightening Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) expectations, this approach is no longer fit for purpose.

The reality on the ground is familiar to every African operator. Grid instability is the rule, not the exception. Voltage sags and swells, harmonics and frequency excursions threaten both IT uptime and cooling performance. Simply adding more protection devices does not solve the problem if operators cannot ‘see’ what is happening on their networks. Power quality visibility, through advanced metering and analytics, has become as strategic as server monitoring.

At the same time, capacity constraints on medium-voltage (MV) feeders and delays to substation upgrades are slowing down expansion from 5 - 20 MW starter sites to 50-100 MW and beyond. The risk is clear: if power infrastructure cannot scale at the same pace as digital demand, the continent’s cloud ambitions will stall.

Rethinking reliability: grid-to-chip, not genset-first

If Africa wants resilient, competitive and sustainable data centres, the starting point must be a grid-to-chip architecture rather than a genset-first mentality. That means treating the entire stack, from utility interconnection down to the rack, as a digitally-orchestrated system.

On the MV side, digital switchgear with built‑in protection and automation can isolate faults in milliseconds and enable self-healing topologies, improving uptime without brute-force redundancy. SF₆‑free switchgear technologies also remove a major greenhouse gas from the reliability equation while easing permitting for large campuses.

Closer to the IT load, high-efficiency, lithium-ion UPS systems are increasingly acting as both critical protection and grid assets. When combined with static transfer switches and modular low‑voltage distribution, they support selective coordination and enable facilities to ride through short disturbances without falling back on diesel. Layered on top, power quality meters and monitoring platforms provide analytics, alarms and compliance reporting that facility managers and regulators can trust.

This is not theory. Facilities that design for end‑to‑end selectivity, maintain total harmonic distortion below 5 %, keep power factor above 0.95 and hold voltage within a tight band at critical buses see fewer nuisance trips, smoother cooling performance and more predictable SLAs.

Cutting diesel dependence with data and automation

The biggest mindset shift is moving from ‘backup at all costs’ to ‘digital energy management’. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) connected at MV level, combined with UPS ride‑through, can provide minutes to hours of autonomy for most grid events. When operators use microgrid controllers and energy management systems to orchestrate grid, PV, BESS and generators in real time, they can materially reduce fuel burn without compromising uptime.

In practice, this means:

• Using peak shaving and demand limiting to reduce generator starts and spinning reserve.

• Prioritising solar PV during the day to offset low‑voltage loads.

• Dynamically shedding non‑critical loads—such as some cooling or auxiliary systems—during severe events, using DCIM and BMS integration.

• Running UPS and power conditioning in carefully validated high‑efficiency modes while keeping power quality within strict limits.

Indicative results from such approaches show 30–60 % less generator runtime and 10–20 % reductions in energy-related OPEX, alongside substantial Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions savings. For operators courting global hyperscalers and cloud service providers, those numbers are no longer ‘nice to have’ - they are part of the investment case.

Utilities and regulators: from constraint to collaborator

None of this happens in a vacuum. Utilities and regulators sit at the centre of whether Africa’s data centre boom will deepen grid stress or strengthen grid resilience. Too often, engagement with utilities starts late and focuses narrowly on connection capacity. That needs to change.

Early interconnection studies, joint protection coordination and clear roadmaps for 10 to 50 to 100 MW expansion should be standard for strategic digital sites. Data centres are uniquely positioned to offer grid services — reactive power support, fast frequency response and demand response using their UPS and storage fleets. If tariff structures, power purchase agreements and wheeling frameworks recognise this value, both sides win.

There is also a capability dimension. Co‑developed training on power quality standards, protection philosophies and digital operations can help utilities and operators converge on a common language. That collaboration is decisive in markets where policymakers see digital infrastructure as a lever for inclusive growth, but where grid investment will take years to catch up.

Design patterns for Africa’s digital decade

What does a practical roadmap look like? For many African markets, a phased approach makes sense.

Phase 1 (5–15 MW): Focus on power quality remediation, lithium‑ion UPS, modest PV penetration and 30–60 minutes of BESS, underpinned by SCADA visibility.

Phase 2 (15–40 MW): Grow PV to 30–40 % of daytime load, extend storage to 1–2 hours, introduce sophisticated microgrid control and enable demand response.

Phase 3 (40–100 MW): Build 2–4 hours of storage, leverage PPAs and wheeling, provide ancillary services to the grid and expand MV feeders with advanced, SF₆‑free switchgear.

Across all phases, integrating cooling into the energy strategy is critical. Precision cooling with variable-speed drives, tied into building and energy management systems, can support load shifting and typically improves Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) by 0.1 to 0.2 - margins that matter in hot climates and volatile grids.

Africa’s digital decade will be defined as much by electrons as by data. Those operators, policymakers and utilities that treat power as a strategic digital enabler, not just an engineering constraint, will shape where cloud regions land, where AI runs and which economies capture the value. Moving beyond diesel dependency towards hybrid, automated, sustainable energy systems is not only possible; it is now imperative for Africa’s data‑driven future. 

Hurricane Electric expands network reach in Durban

Hurricane Electric has expanded its global network footprint with the launch of a new Point of Presence (PoP) at Open Access Data Centres DUR1, located at 3 Oppenheimer Road, Durban 4000, South Africa

The deployment strengthens connectivity options along the country’s east coast and across the broader Southern African region.

OADC DUR1 delivers a secure, carrier neutral colocation facility with access to both regional and international telecommunications providers, as well as major Internet exchanges. Based in Durban, Africa’s busiest port and a key commercial hub, the site connects enterprises, cloud platforms, content providers and service operators to global digital corridors serving KwaZulu Natal and neighbouring markets.

Durban’s strategic importance in global connectivity continues to grow, supported by new subsea cable systems, expanded terrestrial fibre networks and rising demand for cloud computing, financial services, logistics technologies and digital trade. The province’s industrial strength and its role as a gateway between African economies and markets in Asia and Europe are reinforcing its position within the continent’s evolving digital ecosystem.

The new PoP enhances network reliability by strengthening fault tolerance, traffic distribution and congestion control for advanced IP services across South Africa and nearby countries. Customers at OADC DUR1 can connect to Hurricane Electric’s IPv4 and IPv6 backbone through 100GE, 10GE and GigE ports, enabling high capacity and scalable access.

“We are pleased to expand Hurricane Electric’s presence in South Africa with this new Point of Presence at OADC DUR1 in Durban,” said Mike Leber, president of Hurricane Electric. “Durban’s strategic coastal location, growing digital economy, and role as a regional connectivity gateway make it an ideal site to support customers across Southern Africa.”

With this addition, organisations in Durban and surrounding areas can directly exchange IP traffic with Hurricane Electric’s global infrastructure, which maintains more than 40,000 BGP sessions with over 10,500 networks across more than 320 exchange points worldwide.

The launch underscores Hurricane Electric’s continued investment in Africa’s digital landscape, reinforcing its commitment to delivering low latency, resilient internet connectivity to enterprises, financial institutions, hyperscalers, research networks and service providers throughout the region.

Satellite partnership targets Southern Africa’s connectivity gap

Amazon Leo, Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network, is positioning itself to help connect millions across rural Africa by working with partners that understand local deployment challenges

Amazon Leo has partnered with Vanu, Inc., a provider of mobile network equipment and services, to expand reliable internet access to underserved communities. The collaboration focuses particularly on Southern Africa, where infrastructure gaps remain significant and millions still lack basic connectivity.

“Even in places like the United States, 20 to 30 million people have no access to broadband internet. In Africa, the problem is an order of magnitude worse. You’re looking at hundreds of millions without any connectivity whatsoever,” said Andrew Beard, CEO of Vanu.

A recent study highlights the scale of the challenge within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), where connectivity levels trail global averages. Almost one quarter of the region has no network coverage at all, with rural communities disproportionately affected. Around 40% of the population lives in these rural areas, many without access to reliable communications services.

“We can use the Amazon Leo constellation to provide connectivity anywhere, certainly anywhere in Africa and subsequently anywhere in the world,” commented Beard.

“With Amazon Leo, we can advance our timelines. Leo improves the quality of the connection, provides a faster connection, lowers the cost, simplifies installation, and makes it feasible to provide service virtually anywhere.”

With more than 200 satellites already deployed and hundreds more manufactured for launch, Amazon Leo is building the backhaul capacity needed to extend coverage to previously unreachable locations. By leveraging low Earth orbit technology, the system is designed to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity without reliance on traditional terrestrial infrastructure.

Founded in 1998 and operating across the United States, Rwanda and India, Vanu supports mobile operators in expanding coverage into rural and remote markets. Through Amazon Leo-enabled cellular backhaul, Vanu can deploy towers in areas where fibre networks and grid power are unavailable, enabling faster rollouts, lower installation costs and improved service quality. The rollout will begin in South Africa before expanding further across the region.

"Amazon Leo will enable more people on Earth to connect and thrive. We're building the network, but we need partners with boots on the ground—organizations like Vanu who understand the unique needs of their customers and have the experience to deploy solutions that work for them,” remarked Chris Weber, vice- president of consumer and enterprise for Amazon Leo.

According to research by Access Partnership, incorporating non-geostationary satellite orbit systems such as Amazon Leo into SADC’s connectivity framework could generate up to US$16.9bn in annual economic benefits. These systems are particularly suited to regions where difficult terrain or sparse populations make terrestrial infrastructure economically unviable.

The financial implications are substantial. The report estimates that using NGSO systems for backhaul could reduce terrestrial infrastructure costs by at least US$10.3bn for local operators.

Beyond direct economic gains, improved connectivity is expected to deliver cross-sector benefits. NGSO-enabled networks could support Internet of Things applications for vehicle and cargo tracking, potentially saving an estimated US$5.4bn in road logistics costs by 2030. The technology could also strengthen early warning systems for natural disasters, helping prevent infrastructure damage and saving an estimated US$1.21bn.

By complementing conventional infrastructure with satellite-based connectivity, Amazon Leo and Vanu aim to accelerate universal access to digital services. The initiative represents a meaningful step toward closing the connectivity gap in regions where reliable communication remains limited but urgently needed.