November 12, 2008 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – Web host 1&1 (http://www.1and1.co.uk) is to set up operations in a former nuclear fuel facility, it was reported recently. The facility, known as 'New MOX', is located in Hanau, Germany, and will be turned into a 10,000 square meter data center catering for 100,000 servers. In a nice twist of fate for New MOX, 1&1 will utilize green technology and renewable energy sources to ensure its operations are kind to the environment. Around 20 new jobs will be established at the center, which will “become operational towards the end of 2009”.
"The new data center in Hanau will further optimize the operational efficiency of our Internet services," explained1&1 Internet Ltd.’s CEO, Mr. Oliver Mauss. "The geographical distance from our existing European data centers is an important aspect of our business continuity strategy, and the new facility will further bolster our pan European backbone."
Constructed in the late 1980s, the facility and was built to produce mixed oxide rods made from enriched Uranium and Plutonium, but never became operational. 1&1’s new data center will primarily cater for dedicated hosting and provide capacity for services such as Software-as-a-Service or Cloud Computing.
"Telecommunication perfectly fits the high-tech location of Hanau," added the Mayor of Hanau, Claus Kaminsky. "Hence, we are very glad that 1&1, one of the world's largest providers, has opted for our city. A very positive aspect is that finally a very reasonable use has been found for these highly specialized buildings".
"Of course, it is a very pleasing side-effect that a formerly contentious nuclear plant is now being transformed into a green data center," said Mauss. "Whilst Internet servers require electrical power, 1&1 only uses renewal energy. We also pay much attention to saving energy - after all, the power bill is one of the largest parts of our operational expenses for such data centers. The buildings and the surrounding area provide sufficient space to install energy-saving coolers that use the outside temperature for cooling and thus significantly reduce power consumption. 1&1 also uses low-energy components within all its servers."
1&1 Internet bills itself as “the world's largest web host by known servers”. The company holds 7.7 million customer contracts worldwide and manages over 10 million domain names.
