Mainova and BlackRock launch data centre partnership at Mainova WebHouse

The Mainova Group sells 50.1 percent of its shares in Mainova WebHouse GmbH to a fund managed by BlackRock’s Diversified Infrastructure team (“BlackRock”). The share sale is the result of a structured and competitive bidding process and was signed on 10 June 2024.

Mainova WebHouse, a subsidiary of Mainova Group, is a digital infrastructure company focused on designing, building, and operating data centres. With this partnership, Mainova WebHouse is tapping into new growth potential for the planning, construction and operation of sustainable data centres in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region.

Dr. Michael Maxelon, Mainova CEO, said: "We are delighted to have gained a partner in BlackRock that will allow us to further develop the data centre ecosystem in the Rhine-Main metropolitan region over the long-term and, most importantly, sustainably. With our strong partnership, we are pushing ahead with digitalization and strengthening value creation in the region. With their specific focus sustainability, the data centres of Mainova WebHouse support the city of Frankfurt and our customers in achieving their climate protection goals."

Mark Florian, Global Head of Diversified Infrastructure at BlackRock, commented: “We are thrilled to make this investment in Mainova WebHouse and to partner with Mainova Group. Led by an experienced management team, Mainova WebHouse exemplifies our thematic and partnership approach to infrastructure investing. Our joint commitment to sustainable data centre design and energy supply will serve customers focused on decarbonisation and help make the Frankfurt region one of the world’s leading data hubs.”

Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region are the powerhouse of digitalisation in Europe. No other place has a greater concentration of data centre power. The Internet node located in Frankfurt is the largest in the world in terms of data throughput. Data centres are the basis for the further digitalisation of the economy and society, for intelligent and sustainable solutions and for the prosperity of the entire region. Driven by the increasing use of the cloud, the market for data centres is on a strong growth trajectory.

Against this backdrop, Mainova and BlackRock see great potential in Mainova WebHouse to capture a valuable share of this dynamic growth. Both partners are contributing the capital required for the company’s growth. In addition to the data centre already under construction in Frankfurt's Ostend district, which is scheduled to go into operation later in 2024, the company already has a pipeline of data centre projects with a total IT load of over 200MW. The company is focused on building particularly sustainable and efficient data centres that are powered by renewable energy sources, where available, and whose tenants’ energy consumption is 100% backed by renewable energy certificates. For example, the buildings have an optimal use of space for high computing power per square meter as well as an ecological design. In addition, the waste heat is used as heating energy.

Mainova WebHouse Managing Director Oliver Schiebel says: "Mainova WebHouse has successfully established itself in the data centre market. We are proud of the success that is already visible in the construction of our first data centre campus, the utilization of our two data centres by a well-known customer, and this forward-looking partnership. The support of Mainova and BlackRock will allow us to significantly expand our presence in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region in the future and to cater to the demand for sustainable data centres.”

Dirk Schmitz, Country Head of BlackRock in Germany, Austria, and Eastern Europe, stated: "Digitisation is a key success factor for the German economy. Sustainable data storage and processing infrastructure in line with Germany's energy transition, requires significant investment. We are pleased to provide our clients access to this investment in the Rhine-Main region. This second investment in the region on behalf of our clients in the last four months highlights the regions’ attractiveness for investors. I am excited that we will be put our clients’ money to work through our partnership with Mainova Group locally."

Details of the transaction have not been disclosed.