We put it in writing. Before approvals.
Data centers have earned some of the suspicion they get. People worry about power bills, water and noise, and they've heard promises before. So we don't ask anyone to trust our intentions. On every project we develop, First Infra makes a set of commitments in writing, and we offer them to the host community before anything is approved, not after.
Our commitments
A community benefits agreement, offered first
Before we seek approvals, we offer the host community a written agreement and negotiate it in good faith. The terms are public. It's a signed agreement with the local government, not a brochure.
Ratepayer protection
We don't develop a project that shifts its power costs onto other customers of the local utility. We pay for the infrastructure our project needs.
Quiet by design
We choose cooling and layout to keep noise low at the source, and we control enough land around the buildings (owned or leased) to keep them well clear of neighbours. The noise approach and buffer are written into each site's commitments.
Heat put to use
For every site we assess how waste heat can be used, and pursue the best use we can find with local partners. The assessment is shared with the community.
Open books on resources
We report our power, water and heat use publicly, every year, on this site and filed with the host community.
Local first
We work with nearby technical colleges and local employers on training, and we look locally before looking elsewhere. The partnerships are named in the agreement.
Whose commitments these are
These are First Infra's commitments, and they apply to us for as long as we own and develop a project. We may lease or sell a project, and we don't promise that a tenant or buyer takes these commitments on. If we do lease or sell, we'll tell the host community beforehand and be clear about what carries over.
From the data hall to the greenhouse
A data center's heat has to go somewhere. We think the best place for it is a greenhouse. Here's the model we're building toward:
- Heat goes to growing food. Waste heat warms greenhouses on or beside the site.
- Sensors help the crops. Where it makes sense, AI monitors growing conditions so less is wasted.
- A non-profit distributes the food. Local organizations decide who it is for.
- We fund it up front and don't run it. Operating stays with people who know how to grow and distribute food.
We'll say plainly what we can't yet claim: this is how we intend to do it, and each project will have to prove the fit, the demand for the food and the partners.
What we won't promise
- We won't promise a number of jobs. A running data center employs relatively few people, and the large construction workforce is temporary. We'll commit to local training and hiring first.
- We won't say a project has no impact. Every project changes a place. What we offer is a way to see the impact, shape it and hold us to the commitments that limit it.
- We won't proceed on a site without the community's agreement. As part of our due diligence on each site, we work with the representatives of the community, as identified by local authorities, and we listen to them. If we can't earn agreement, we walk away.
Why this is how we do business
First Infra is an owner and developer. While we hold a project, we live with the consequences of how we build it, and so do our neighbours. A promise we break costs us far more than one we never made.
Talk to us before we talk to anyone else.
If you're part of a local government, utility, economic-development office or community group, we'd like to hear what a good project looks like to you.