Que: PDG achieved 100 percent carbon-free energy matching for Scope 2 emissions in India, a year ahead of schedule. What were the key enablers behind this milestone, and how do you plan to sustain it as your data center footprint expands?

Ans: This significant achievement was delivered through a diversified renewable energy procurement strategy, including long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), short-term solar and wind energy procurement, and RE100-aligned Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs).

We continue to expand and diversify our renewable energy portfolio across our markets, while investing in AI-enabled energy management, advanced cooling technologies and grid-interactive capabilities to improve energy efficiency and operational resilience.

In India, PDG has signed a new long-term captive solar PPA with CleanMax earlier in the year to support the development of a 13.2 MW solar power plant in Amravati, Maharashtra, which will supply renewable energy to MU1 and is expected to avoid approximately 24,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.

As our data center footprint expands, we will continue to embed sustainability into infrastructure design and operations. This includes scaling renewable energy, improving energy efficiency and advancing toward hourly carbon-free energy matching by 2036, complementing our commitment to achieve Net Zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.

Que: Your Mumbai MU1 campus uses Flexidao's platform for real-time hourly renewable energy tracking. How does hourly energy matching improve upon conventional annual renewable energy accounting, and what operational benefits has it delivered?

Ans: Hourly clean energy matching helps data centers align their electricity use with clean energy availability throughout the day, supporting a more consistent transition to carbon-free operations.

Our partnership with Tata Power Renewables and Flexidao at our MU1 campus is helping us pioneer time-matched carbon-free energy consumption, giving us greater visibility into the alignment between renewable generation and our electricity use. This moves sustainability from an annual accounting exercise toward more granular, auditable energy management and strengthens our ability to demonstrate credible low-carbon operations to customers.

It also provides a foundation for PDG's longer-term roadmap to progressively move from annual to quarterly, monthly, and ultimately hourly carbon-free energy matching across our portfolio.

Que: As AI accelerates data center capacity additions, how can India's digital infrastructure sector balance rising power demand with the country's decarbonisation goals?

Ans: With AI workloads becoming increasingly compute- and power-intensive, the digital infrastructure sector must scale while improving the efficiency and sustainability of energy, water and other resources. India is well placed to support this growth, with strong clean energy availability and an expanding range of renewable energy procurement options. For PDG, the priority is to leverage these opportunities to accelerate the transition to carbon-free energy while maintaining power reliability by being a responsible member of the grid.

Energy efficiency is equally critical. PDG targets a PUE of 1.2–1.4 for greenfield data centers, supported by more efficient cooling and infrastructure design. We are also evaluating lower-carbon alternatives such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for backup power and new technologies to optimise energy and resource use.

As AI infrastructure scales, sustainability must be embedded into data center design and operations from the outset. By combining India’s renewable energy potential and procurement options with greater energy efficiency, increasingly granular carbon-free energy matching and responsible resource management, AI capacity can grow while remaining aligned with a clear decarbonisation pathway.

Que: Renewable energy procurement models such as captive, group captive and open access are evolving rapidly. Which models are likely to be most effective for meeting the long-term energy needs of hyperscale data centers?

Ans: For hyperscale data centers, the most effective renewable energy procurement models are those that combine long term certainty, scalability and granular transparency. The scale and continuous nature of data center demand means that procurement has to balance long-term supply security, cost competitiveness, regulatory considerations and scalability.

There is no one-size-fits-all model. The right renewable energy procurement structure will depend on factors such as the data center’s location and power demand profile, renewable energy availability, grid infrastructure, regulatory environment and project economics.

In India, captive and group-captive structures can provide large data center loads with greater long-term visibility over renewable energy supply and pricing, while green open access enables renewable power to be sourced and delivered through the grid. These approaches can be complemented by a broader mix of solar and wind PPAs, hybrid renewable projects and storage to improve the availability and reliability of clean energy supply.

For PDG, the next stage is not simply about procuring more renewable energy but improving the quality and granularity of that procurement. Our decarbonisation roadmap targets 100 percent carbon-free energy availability across our facilities, progressing from annual matching by 2026 to quarterly matching by 2028, monthly by 2030, weekly by 2032, daily by 2034 and 75-100 percent hourly matching by 2036.

Que: How important will energy storage technologies be in enabling the next phase of growth for India’s data center sector? Captive storage or FDRE/RTC power, including storage, which works best for data centers?

Ans: Energy storage will be an important enabler of the next phase of data center growth, particularly as operators seek to increase the availability of clean energy across more hours of the day. PDG’s sustainability roadmap identifies advanced energy storage as one of the solutions that can help bridge periods of low renewable generation.

For data centers, captive storage and FDRE/RTC should not be viewed as competing options. The optimal solution is likely to be a portfolio approach, combining solar, wind, storage and firm renewable procurement based on the requirements and economics of each site.

Que: From a policy and investment perspective, what measures would help position India as a global hub for sustainable, AI-ready data center infrastructure over the next decade?

Ans: India has strong foundations to become a global hub for sustainable, AI-ready data center infrastructure, supported by significant renewable energy potential, a growing digital economy and expanding green power procurement options.

The next phase of growth will require closer alignment between policy, power availability and long-term investment. Greater predictability around renewable energy procurement, faster permitting and continued investment in transmission infrastructure will be critical.

As AI workloads become more power-intensive, access to reliable, affordable and progressively carbon-free energy will increasingly influence where digital infrastructure is built. Policy stability and patient capital will also matter, given the long investment horizons associated with data center development.

More sophisticated clean energy products, including hybrid renewables, firm and dispatchable renewable energy, and storage, will help large power consumers better match clean energy supply with demand.

Ultimately, India’s opportunity is to make clean power easier to procure, more predictable and increasingly available throughout the day, creating a stronger foundation for sustainable data center and AI growth.