KAMLOOPS, BC – Telus has commenced construction of its Kamloops Internet Data Centre that it claims will be one of the most environmentally sustainable, secure and reliable operations of its kind in the world when completed by July, 2013.
By utilizing green hydro power and natural cooling the site will use up to 80% less power than a typical data centre of its size and is designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard says Telus.
Telus says the data centre will be the cornerstone of its cloud computing business strategy, providing a competitive edge for its clients by enabling them to “focus on their core business knowing their data is effectively stored in one of the greenest and most secure data centres anywhere.”
"Our Kamloops Data Centre will offer unsurpassed connectivity, superior functionality, state-of-the art security and industry-leading reliability for our clients, whilst creating 200 construction jobs and 75 long-term skilled technical jobs in the community," said Darren Entwistle, Telus President and CEO in a statement.
The Kamloops data centre has been designed modularly says Telus, so it can increase the space for technical equipment and tailor services to meet the changing information technology and storage needs of clients. Once all seven modules are ultimately complete, including the centre's administrative offices, the facility will cover 215,000 square feet.
Similar to Telus' Rimouski Data Centre that will open this September, the new data centre will have an annual Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.15, meaning it will use up to 80% less power than an average facility of its size. Telus says a key element of the data centre's efficient design is an advanced system to cool the servers that takes advantage of Kamloops' natural low humidity to draw in outside air, allowing the facility to consume 86% less water for cooling than typical data centres.
In addition to the $75 million data centre, Telus announced it will invest $25 million in Kamloops over the next three years to expand its 4G LTE and Optik TV to the community.
Telus is also contributing $425,000 to the Royal Inland Hospital's ICU capital campaign, as a result of donating $100 on behalf of every new Optik TV and smartphone customer in the community. Since 2000, Telus, its team members and retirees in Kamloops have donated more than $1.2 million and volunteered nearly 80,000 hours to local charitable and community organizations.
