PREA’s waste heat system is set to become an integral part of the “Bluestar BER 1-4” data center hub, which will represent an investment of over €1 billion in the Berlin district of Lichtenberg when completed in 2028. This investment is critical to PREA’s mission to accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy and underscores its commitment to significantly increase the supply of carbon-neutral energy in the Berlin area.

The 56,648 m² site will be home to Berlin’s first data center with a capacity of more than 100 MW, which will simultaneously convert a large part of its energy consumption into thermal energy and thus provide up to 7% of the district heating capacity currently in use in a CO₂-neutral manner. This process dispenses with the use of hazardous by-products and instead relies on significantly inertized alternatives.

The by-product of PREA’s data center – CO₂-neutral waste heat – is generated by an intelligent water cooling system and enables the operator to convert up to 90% of the electrical energy into thermal energy. The result is a sensible use of hot water with a flow temperature of up to 60 degrees Celsius, which can be further processed by regional energy companies in future and fed into the district heating network.

In future, PREA’s waste heat system will supply up to 700 GWh/a of heat, which corresponds to around 7% of Berlin’s total district heating output.

Through the construction project, PREA is not only promoting Berlin’s energy transition, but also creating more than 500 temporary jobs during the construction phase and up to 100 full-time positions for the long-term operation of the facility, including operations managers and engineers to support the ongoing maintenance and optimization of the data center and the waste heat system.

PREA invites regional energy companies to take part in the competition and asks them to submit an offer by 13.02.2026 for cooperation and joint implementation.

Together, we can show how digital infrastructure and climate-neutral energy supply in Berlin go hand in hand – responsibly, sustainably and on the scale of a metropolis.

Interested partners can contact the following address if they have any questions about the project or the submission of bids: bluestar@prea.eu