Next spring Rosatom will bring online Europe’s largest data center near the city of Tver of Russia.The data center is constructed near the Kalinin nuclear power plant in Russia’s Tver Region. The active project phase began in February this year. Proximity to the nuclear station provides the data center with a reliable source of power. “With up to 8,000 server racks, it will be Russia’s largest data center,” said Kalinin Director Mikhail Kanyshev. “When completed, the center will provide large companies with IT services, including personal data protection and data storage, and improve data security in Russia.” The project will turn Tver, the data center’s home, into an IT leader among Russian regions.
A few days ago, Tver’s acting governor Igor Rudenya and Rosatom CEO Sergei Kirienko visited the construction site. According to Mr. Kirienko, the data center will be commissioned in two stages, by March 2017 and March 2018 respectively.
He noted that the data center provided the possibility of expansion. “The first stage of the project will give 4,800 server racks; the second stage will increase this number up to 8,000. The data center’s design enables its capacity to be further doubled. We will do our best to have more orders, particularly from federal ministries and agencies. The project means new jobs and innovative economic environment for the Tver Region,” Sergei Kirienko commented.
Evgeny Goncharov, CEO of the project’s general contractor CDS Engineering, reported on the project progress to Sergei Kirienko. “By now, we have finished all ground works for three data center buildings. The checkpoint is already completed; the office building is 50% ready. The first stage of the project, including construction and connection of three data center buildings to the power station, will be over by mid-2017. The remaining buildings will have been constructed by March 2018.”
Goncharov also said that the construction ran day and night. The largest data center project involves 280 workers and 20 engineers and technical experts, with the staff expected to grow up to 400 people by this November. Goncharov assured Kirienko that there would be no delay in the project completion.
Igor Rudenya pointed out that construction of data centers was a global trend, and the Tver Region grew experienced in the field. Regional authorities have contracts with Yandex, a Russian Internet major. “We plan to expand our IT service offering. Next year, as soon as the data center is commissioned, we will move our database here in order to facilitate the work of regional authorities, automate record keeping processes, streamline document flows and cash flows to the maximum extent possible. Prospects are very attractive,” Rudenya said.
