China: Three Gorges Group (CTG) completes first phase of Dongyuemiao data center project

Three Gorges Group has announced that it has completed the first phase of its Dongyuemiao data center project in Yichang, Hubei. Work began on the project back in February 2021. The Chinese energy company outlined that the facility's first phase saw an investment of RMB 845 million ($132.7m), which went towards the development of 40,000 sqm (430, 500 sq ft) of space, and capacity for 4,400 racks. 

The facility has centered sustainability as a priority, and the company noted that the first phase's power consumption (200 million kWh electricity per year) will be delivered by hydropower generated by the Three Gorges Dam. Moreover, no extra energy will be spent on data center cooling, as the river's water will provide it with natural cooling. 

In a press release, Jin Heping, chief information officer of CTG, previously noted that when "fully completed," the Dongyuemiao Data Center will be "the largest data center cluster in central China." It will span 100,000 sqm (one million sq ft) when fully built out and have a capacity to host 26,400 racks across five buildings, which will be deployed in three phases. 

Heping added that the facility will be capable of "providing safe and efficient data storage and powerful computing power for the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt."