Facebook Plans Its First Non-US Data Centre in Sweden !!

Tom Furlong, Facebook Director of Operations, announced Today in Lulea, Sweden, that it's new server farm on the edge of the Arctic Circle, it's first outside the U.S , that will improve performance for European users of the social networking site.

Facebook had picked the northern Swedish city of Lulea for the data center partly because: 

• The cold climate is crucial for keeping the servers cool.

• Access to Renewable energy from nearby hydro-power facilities.

The Lulea data center, which will consist of three 300,000-square foot (28,000-square meter) server buildings, is scheduled for completion by 2014. The site will need 120 MW of energy, fully derived from hydropower.

Located 60 miles (100 kilometers), south of the Arctic Cicle, Lulea lies near hydropower stations on a river that generates twice as much electricity as the Hoover Dam on the border of Nevada and Arizona, Facebook said.

Facebook's move towards  Renewable Energy is appreciated.