Infomart Data Centers has announced it has received approval from Portland General Electric (PGE) to become a Direct Access (DA) customer. While still remaining power distribution service customers of PGE, Direct Access customers may competitively source electricity directly from third-party energy suppliers. To capture the full benefits of deregulation and aid in its strategic energy procurement process, Infomart Portland has selected Noble Americas Energy Solutions, one of the country’s leading retail energy marketers.

“Our decision to pursue Direct Access is simply about having more choices,” says John Sheputis, president of Infomart Data Centers. “Direct Access for energy procurement is consistent with Infomart’s belief in an open market with unbundled tariffs, no markups and the freedom to make our own energy-mix decisions. While we have new choices for energy supply, there is no change in operations or service reliability. PGE is one of the nation’s best grid operators, and its infrastructure and service quality were a primary reason we chose to locate in Hillsboro, Oregon.”

If the Oregon DA experience follows the precedent set by Infomart Silicon Valley, which opted for Direct Access service in 2010, Infomart Portland tenants could expect to save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year on energy costs. As compared with average Silicon Valley utility costs, a typical 1 MW Infomart Silicon Valley tenant realizes an annual energy savings of 38.32%, or over $435,000 per year, compared to bundled tariff service.

Following a 16 MW and 100,000-sq-ft expansion that will finalize in mid-summer 2016, bringing the facility to a total of 24 MW and 350,000 sq ft, Infomart Portland will be the largest merchant data center in Oregon and one of the largest on the U.S. West Coast. In addition to helping tenants lower overall energy consumption and realize sustainable IT operations, Infomart Portland operates at an industry-leading power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.16 in full economization mode. The facility also features abundant domestic and trans-Pacific network choices, office space for IT operations, 99% efficient uninterrupted power supply (UPS), an absence of sales taxes for purchases used in Oregon, and additional Enterprise Zone property tax benefits.