Latvian architecture firm Siltumelektroprojekts (SEP) has begun designing a heating main in the Helsinki metropolitan area, where a Microsoft data center complex is under construction, SEP informed LETA.

According to the company, the excess heat generated by the servers will be directed into district heating networks, providing heat to several Finnish cities.

In partnership with the energy company Fortum, Microsoft is developing a waste heat recovery project that will divert up to 16 megawatts (MW) of server-generated heat from the data centers to supply heating for three Finnish cities-an amount comparable to the heating needs of Tukums, Dobele, and Smiltene in Latvia.

SEP explains that this solution will significantly reduce CO₂ emissions compared to conventional heating systems and serve as a model for harnessing the potential of data centers for sustainable urban heating.

As part of the project, SEP engineers are designing a heat recovery system that will efficiently transfer the heat generated by the data center’s servers to the municipal grid. The project is being developed in a Building Information Modelling (BIM) environment at a LOD 500 level of detail, ensuring the highest accuracy and predictability in design.

The company is carrying out complex engineering calculations, including hydraulic, thermal, and mechanical strength analyses-for axial, radial, and linear loads.

Siltumelektroprojekts specializes in the design of complex and technologically advanced facilities, ranging from industrial and energy infrastructure to biogas and civil engineering projects.

In 2024, the company reported a turnover of EUR 9.435 million and a profit of EUR 167,550, according to Firmas.lv.

Siltumelektroprojekts was founded in 1996 and has a share capital of EUR 907,440. It is owned by Baltelektroprojekts, which in turn is owned by Mhitars Mhitarjans.

Source: BNS

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