Environmental Business Journal interviews Ramboll on data center impact on enviro services

This article was originally published in Environmental Business Journal, Volume 39 Numbers 9/10: Q3 2026: Data Centers and the Environmental Industry.

EBJ: Ramboll has worked with the data center industry for a long time. How has your data center practice evolved over that period, and how important has this market become to Ramboll’s overall business?

Ramboll: Data centers are an increasingly important part of Ramboll’s business because they sit at the intersection of some of the most pressing challenges our clients face today: digital growth, energy availability, water stewardship, environmental performance, and community acceptance. Our data center practice has evolved to help clients address these challenges across the full project lifecycle, from site selection and environmental due diligence through design, permitting, water, energy, and commissioning. By bringing together expertise from across Ramboll’s business units, we help clients make informed decisions, manage risk, and deliver resilient, responsible infrastructure that supports both business growth and long-term sustainability goals.

EBJ: What have been the most significant milestones in the growth of Ramboll’s data center practice over the past five years, particularly as AI and hyperscale development have accelerated demand?

Ramboll: Over the past five years, Ramboll’s data center practice has grown from a specialized capability into a broad, integrated global sector. A major part of that evolution has been the expansion of our core group of data center experts, the growth of our headcount, and the development of stronger regional teams that can support clients where demand is accelerating. As AI and hyperscale development have increased the need for faster, more complex infrastructure delivery, Ramboll has continued to build depth across design, commissioning, environmental consulting, permitting, water, energy, sustainability, and infrastructure advisory services.

Acquisitions have been an important part of this growth, including EYP Mission Critical Facilities and i3 Solutions, and subsequent acquisitions in the UK, Singapore, and Canada, which strengthened our technical capabilities and expanded our global reach. Last year, Ramboll publicly launched its data center sector to bring these capabilities together under one coordinated platform, allowing us to support clients across the full lifecycle of a data center with a more unified, multidisciplinary approach.

EBJ: Ramboll acquired EYP Mission Critical Facilities in 2022 and i3 Solutions Group in 2024. What was the strategic vision behind these acquisitions, and what capabilities were you looking to add that Ramboll did not previously have at the same scale?

Ramboll: The acquisitions were intended to incorporate specialized data center facility design capabilities into Ramboll. EYP Mission Critical Facilities and i3 Solutions Group brought experience in designing mission-critical data center facilities, complementing Ramboll’s existing strengths in areas such as site selection, sustainability, environmental consulting, facility permitting, energy, water and infrastructure.

The rationale was based partly on the long-term growth outlook for computing and data. Ramboll recognized that the amount of data being generated would continue to increase and that digital technology would become even more central to the way people and businesses operate. There was also a strong alignment with Ramboll’s sustainability focus. Historically, data centers have not always been designed or operated with sustainability as a central consideration. We saw an opportunity to influence how data centers are planned and designed, so we can work with developers to maximize sustainability and minimize impacts.

EBJ: AI facilities can have very different requirements from conventional data centers. Can you tell us about the differences and how they impact the environmental services needed?

Ramboll: AI facilities differ from traditional data centers in several important ways. Because AI training workloads are less dependent on proximity to end users, clients have more flexibility to consider new geographies beyond the established latency-driven data center hubs. At the same time, AI facilities typically require much higher power densities, larger and more resilient utility infrastructure, and more advanced cooling strategies, including liquid cooling for high-density compute environments. These requirements can expand the range of viable sites, but they also make early planning, technical due diligence and sustainability considerations much more important.

For clients, this means that site selection is no longer only about finding land and power; it also requires understanding how power supply, water availability, cooling approach, air permitting, interconnection timelines, community expectations and long-term environmental performance fit together. New markets may offer development opportunities, but they can also bring unfamiliar or evolving regulatory requirements, particularly where behind-the-meter generation or intensive water and energy demands are involved. Ramboll helps clients evaluate these factors early, compare development tradeoffs, manage permitting risk, and identify more sustainable pathways for delivering AI infrastructure at scale.

EBJ: From an environmental consulting perspective, how significant is the data center boom?

Ramboll: The data center boom has been very significant for the environmental consulting business. It represents not only the birth and growth of a new industry, but also the development of infrastructure at a scale and impact that we’ve never seen before. It is not just an increase in the number of conventional buildings; it also creates demand for large sites, extensive power infrastructure, water and cooling strategies, and increasingly complex pathways through environmental review and permitting. For Ramboll, this creates an important opportunity to help clients deliver critical digital infrastructure in a way that manages risk, advances sustainability goals, and supports more resilient outcomes for communities and the environment.

EBJ: Are we essentially watching the emergence of a new end market for environmental and sustainability services?

Ramboll: We are seeing the emergence of a major end market for environmental and sustainability services. The scale and pace of development create opportunities across due diligence, permitting, remediation, beneficial reuse and sustainability. There is also considerable interest from both industry and government, reinforcing the need for environmental expertise for such large-scale development.

One important dimension is the reuse of previously developed or industrial land. Former industrial properties, brownfields and coal-fired power plant sites may offer development opportunities, but they can also require remediation and a carefully considered approach to beneficial reuse. This makes the data center market relevant not only to new-site development but also to the transformation of existing assets and land.

The circular economy is also an emerging opportunity; services can extend beyond addressing regulatory requirements to finding ways to lower carbon across the whole supply chain, from sourcing recycled materials for development and construction to recycling components and materials at end of life.

EBJ: Are major data center developers having to become energy developers as well?

Ramboll: For major data center developers, energy has moved from a utility procurement issue to a core development constraint. Most do not want to become power developers; their preference is still to secure reliable grid capacity and focus on delivering data center infrastructure. But in many markets, grid constraints, long interconnection timelines and rising AI-driven loads are forcing them to take a more active role in power strategy, including evaluating behind-the-meter generation, on-site substations, battery storage, microgrids, renewable procurement and partnerships with utilities or independent power producers. For clients, this creates new questions around site viability, permitting, capital cost, schedule, reliability, emissions and long-term operating risk. Ramboll helps clients understand these tradeoffs early, assess which power pathways are technically feasible and permittable, integrate energy planning with site selection and environmental review, and identify solutions that support both speed-to-market and sustainability goals.

How are the following technologies being used for data centers?

Microgrids: “Microgrid” can be used broadly to describe interconnected behind-the-meter power resources at a site. A data center may combine prime-power generation, diesel generation, and batteries, all behind the meter to support uptime and resilience. Under that broad umbrella, many data centers already possess the characteristics of a microgrid, even if the individual configurations vary.

Battery storage: Battery storage has expanded beyond its traditional uninterruptible power supply role. It can help bridge gaps between grid power, prime generation and backup generation, giving batteries a larger role in project design. Their importance is also increasing in response to potential grid curtailments and broader grid-reliability concerns. The scale and duration of storage remain site-specific.

Natural gas: Natural gas is being used for several forms of on-site generation, including turbines, reciprocating engines and fuel cells. Its role is connected not only to fuel cost or availability but also to insufficient electric-grid capacity. Where a sufficiently robust grid interconnection is not feasible, natural-gas generation may become one of the limited practical options for supplying power at the site.

Fuel cells: Fuel cells are generally an on-site generation technology powered by natural gas, and should be alongside turbines and reciprocating engines as technological pathways for converting natural gas into on-site power.

Renewables: There is significant demand for renewable energy because data centers need additional power and want renewable supply to support their carbon goals. However, direct on-site renewable applications are limited because renewable generation can be difficult to co-locate with data centers. This integration has traditionally been achieved through virtual PPAs.

Hydrogen and small modular nuclear reactors: Producing hydrogen generally requires more energy than can be recovered from a generator. Hydrogen as a fuel source is not cost effective and is generally not being used for data centers at this time. Small modular nuclear reactors may have a larger future as more systems come online and we see increased clarity around implementable timeframes. Currently, SMRs are not the most competitive option on cost or speed due to permitting challenges and financial analysis compared to natural gas, but the industry may see that shift in the coming years.

EBJ: How quickly are cooling technologies evolving? And what about waste-heat reuse?

Ramboll: Cooling technologies are evolving very quickly, particularly because of the growth of AI and the much higher power densities associated with AI computing. Some AI applications require rack densities of approximately 150 to 200 kilowatts or more. At those densities, traditional cooling approaches aren’t enough to manage the heat generated by the equipment.

This has driven a major shift toward liquid-to-chip cooling. Most of the AI data center projects Ramboll is currently working on either use this type of cooling or are being designed so that they can accommodate it in the future. Traditional cooling is still used for general facility spaces, but liquid cooling is becoming essential for the high-density computing equipment itself.

Immersion cooling is also developing and can be highly efficient, although it has not yet achieved the same level of adoption.

Water conservation has also driven the industry toward closed-loop systems that are filled once; water is recirculated in the same system for cooling rather than evaporated into the atmosphere.

Waste-heat reuse presents a different challenge. With more than 200 MW of heat recovered from data centers, Ramboll can help create technical solutions. The larger issue is adoption and whether there is a practical customer for the recovered heat. In parts of Europe, legislation is encouraging or requiring data centers to make their waste heat available for use in surrounding communities. Europe’s denser development patterns can also place data centers closer to homes, businesses or district energy systems capable of using that heat.

In the United States, broader adoption will depend on creating the regulatory, commercial and physical conditions needed to connect data centers with viable heat users. Ramboll is supporting this effort and is seeing increased interest in data center heat recovery. These projects can provide tremendous community benefits, including reduced water consumption, reduced noise, and potentially lower energy bills for residents.

EBJ: Which other technologies are having the greatest real-world impact on reducing the environmental footprint of data centers today?

Ramboll: Beyond cooling and heat reuse, some of the most consequential developments are occurring in on-site and behind-the-meter power generation. The availability of grid power has become a major constraint for data center development, leading owners and designers to examine alternatives that can supply energy directly to a facility.

One option being incorporated into some designs is natural gas turbine generation paired with carbon capture. Ramboll has worked on various design options that combine these technologies to provide a lower-carbon on-site energy supply than operating gas turbines without carbon capture.

Fuel cells are another established technology receiving renewed attention due to their lower air emissions compared to turbines or reciprocating engines. Their cost has historically limited wider adoption; however, as grid power becomes more difficult to secure, the comparison is changing. In urban locations where adequate grid capacity is not available, data center developers may be more willing to pay a premium for dependable on-site generation and a viable pathway to air permits.

Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar can also play a meaningful role, particularly when paired with battery energy storage systems. Battery storage allows electricity generated when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing to be stored and used when the data center needs it. This helps address the variability of renewable generation and makes it more practical as part of a facility’s energy strategy.

These technologies can be integrated through behind-the-meter microgrids. Rather than relying entirely on the electric grid, a data center can generate some or all of its power on-site using a combination of gas turbines, fuel cells, wind, solar and battery storage. The specific combination will depend on the site, available resources and the facility’s power requirements.

EBJ: What global differences are you seeing among North America, Europe and Asia?

Ramboll: A major difference between North American and European development is the footprint and availability of suitable sites. In the United States, developers may be able to use large, open greenfield sites capable of accommodating hyperscale facilities. In Europe, a lack of comparable greenfield sites can push development toward smaller parcels and the redevelopment of previously used or contaminated land within the urban setting. That increases the relevance of remediation, beneficial reuse and site-specific development strategies.

Regulatory environments also differ by country and region. European requirements tend to be stricter overall because development spans numerous countries, regional experience must be combined with country-specific knowledge.

The physical development context also changes the environmental-services mix. Large US greenfield projects may place greater emphasis on managing the environmental and infrastructure implications of a substantial new footprint. European redevelopment may require more work related to contaminated land, constrained parcels and the reuse of existing sites.

While the core site selection criteria for data centers are consistent globally, including power, connectivity, water, permitting, environmental constraints and community acceptance, the weighting of these factors differs considerably by region.

North America remains focused on scale and speed-to-market. Access to power is the dominant constraint, driving interest in behind-the-meter generation, microgrids and expansion into secondary markets. Public opposition has increased, particularly around water consumption, power demand, noise and infrastructure burden. Environmental regulation is comparatively fragmented across federal, state and local levels, creating significant variation between jurisdictions.

Europe is characterized by more prescriptive sustainability and environmental requirements. The revised EU Energy Efficiency Directive requires reporting on data center energy performance and sustainability metrics, while planning approvals increasingly consider carbon emissions, renewable energy, biodiversity, water stewardship and waste heat reuse. Grid constraints, planning complexity and community expectations often make sustainability and social acceptance as important as technical feasibility.

Asia-Pacific is the most diverse region, spanning highly mature markets and rapidly emerging hubs. Development is often influenced by government policy, energy security, land availability, data sovereignty requirements and climate risks such as flooding, typhoons and water stress. Sustainability expectations are rising, particularly around renewable energy integration, water efficiency and resource security, but requirements vary significantly by country.

Across all regions, we see a common trend: sustainability is moving from a corporate aspiration to a development requirement. Securing power, managing water, addressing community concerns and demonstrating measurable environmental performance are becoming essential for obtaining permits, attracting investment and maintaining a social license to operate.