Vattenfall, Project Enki, and ABB Team Up to Build Offshore Data Centers Linked to European Wind Farms
June 23, 2026
Vattenfall, Project Enki, and ABB Team Up to Build Offshore Data Centers Linked to European Wind Farms
Swedish energy giant Vattenfall has signed a partnership with European AI data center startup Project Enki and electrical services provider ABB to explore the development of offshore data centers directly connected to offshore wind farms across Europe. The initiative aims to power compute-intensive infrastructure using renewable energy that would otherwise be curtailed due to grid congestion or unfavorable market conditions.
The concept seeks to combine existing technologies in novel ways, according to the companies. Under the proposed framework, Project Enki will develop and operate the offshore data centers, while Vattenfall will supply electricity generated by its offshore wind assets. Unlike traditional cloud data centers, these facilities are designed specifically for long-duration, compute-intensive processing tasks. During periods of low wind generation, certain workloads will be delayed or reduced, creating a more flexible relationship between power generation and compute demand.
“With this initiative, we are exploring how existing technologies can be combined in new ways,” said Nardi Polak, head of supplier innovation at Vattenfall. “Offshore data centers create an opportunity to use renewable power directly where it is generated, allowing us to utilize the capacity of our wind farms more efficiently.” Paul Kunneman, managing director of Project Enki, added: “We are utilizing wind energy that would otherwise not be generated or fully utilized. Our power consumption does not come at the expense of electricity supplied to households. Sovereignty, sustainability, and speed - that is Project Enki.”
The partners claim the initiative could address key challenges in renewable energy production by consuming curtailed power locally under predefined commercial arrangements. Cooling for the data centers would be provided by seawater, which the companies argue could improve cooling efficiency while reducing energy consumption and associated carbon emissions. Vattenfall, a Swedish state-owned company and one of the largest wind power developers outside the European market, currently operates around 4.4 GW of offshore wind capacity across Europe.
The project remains in its early stages, with a joint team from Vattenfall, Project Enki, and ABB currently evaluating technical, economic, and societal aspects, including infrastructure requirements, operational feasibility, and potential benefits. The partners are focused on identifying a first deployment location. Offshore data centers are gaining traction as land scarcity becomes an increasing issue for operators. Last month, Chinese developer HiCloud brought its offshore wind-powered underwater data center online off the coast of Shanghai, with a capacity of 24 MW, marking a growing trend in this emerging sector.
Source: datacenterdynamics
