Equinix files environmental request for Brazil hyperscale site

Equinix, the US interconnection and datacenter group, submitted a request for an environmental permit related to its SP5x hyperscale facility in São Paulo state, BNamericas has learned.

A document from the state’s environmental agency, Cetesb, shows that a request was filed on June 16 and is being analyzed by the agency.

The permit sought by Equinix is for industrial waste treatment and known locally as Cadri. In the case of datacenters, the Cadri is necessary due to storage and handling of diesel for generators, as well as other chemical or environmental-sensitive materials that are needed for the operation.

Opened in 2011 with 5MW of initial capacity and investments of US$52 million, SP5x was Equinix’s first hyperscale datacenter in the Americas, projected to have close to 15MW in total capacity upon completion.

The hyperscale facility sits alongside the SP3 retail datacenter Equinix maintains in Santana do Parnaíba city, in São Paulo’s metropolitan area, and the under-expansion SP4.

The third expansion phase of SP5x was concluded in late 2023, with US$36mn in investments and adding 5MW in capacity.

The company is also expanding its SP4 datacenter, in São Paulo, and building new sites in Rio de Janeiro (RJ3) and São Paulo (SP6).