AAAS Energy BV, a Netherlands-based energy developer, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ChillMine Corporation, a US data centre operator, to develop a new data centre campus in Botswana jointly.
The collaboration aims to establish a world-class facility designed to support AI computing, global hyperscalers, and other energy-intensive digital operations.
Maarten Mennes, Managing Director of AAAS, said, “This MOU with ChillMine is a significant step in our vision to connect sustainable energy development with the digital economy.
By combining power from the Solar PV + BESS Project with natural gas projects in Botswana, currently being developed by third parties, we are creating a unique value proposition for global technology companies seeking to expand into Africa.”
ChillMine’s Co-Founder and CEO, Brian Neirby, added, “We are thrilled to partner with AAAS to bring our data centre expertise to Botswana.
The combination of the energy infrastructure under development and our operational experience will enable us to deliver a best-in-class, high-performance data centre campus that can meet the rigorous demands of the world’s most sophisticated technology users.”
The proposed campus will respond to growing demand for reliable, scalable, and cost-effective data infrastructure across Southern Africa. It will target large-scale cloud providers and other clients requiring continuous, high-capacity power for operations.
As part of the wider development, AAAS intends to integrate the data centre into an Energy Hub and Industrial Park near Palapye. The hub includes a 250 MW solar PV project and a planned Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) of around 100 MW / 400 MWh, both currently in development.
The integrated energy infrastructure is expected to provide a stable and efficient power supply, supporting reliable performance and sustainability across the new data centre campus.
