CERN Reaffirms Energy Management Leadership with Successful 2025 ISO 50001 Audit

CERN Reaffirms Energy Management Leadership with Successful 2025 ISO 50001 Audit

(IN BRIEF) CERN has successfully passed its 2025 ISO 50001 surveillance audit, affirming its leadership in energy management and commitment to sustainability. The audit, conducted by AFNOR, found no nonconformities and praised the maturity of CERN’s energy strategies. Recent initiatives include a highly efficient new data centre targeting a PUE of 1.1 and power purchase agreements that will supply 10% of CERN’s electricity needs from solar energy by 2027. These developments reflect CERN’s dedication to minimizing energy use, maximizing efficiency, and advancing environmentally responsible research.

(PRESS RELEASE) GENEVA, 22-Apr-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — CERN has once again demonstrated its commitment to sustainable operations by passing its 2025 ISO 50001 surveillance audit with flying colors. This milestone reinforces the Organization’s position as a global leader in energy management, having first earned ISO 50001 certification in 2023 for its comprehensive and continually improving energy performance strategy.

The audit, conducted by the French Association for Standardisation (AFNOR), reviewed multiple aspects of CERN’s energy use, spanning from cryogenics and ventilation systems to HR practices and health and safety protocols. Not a single nonconformity was found, and several key strengths were highlighted during the evaluation.

Nicolas Bellegarde, CERN’s energy coordinator, noted that the audit particularly praised the advanced maturity level of CERN’s energy management system. “We showed measurable improvements in performance through both technical upgrades and day-to-day operational practices,” he said.

CERN’s strategy for energy performance hinges on three pillars: minimizing energy consumption for its core activities, increasing energy efficiency, and implementing systems to recover waste energy. These guiding principles are reflected in recent initiatives, including the development of a new high-efficiency data centre in Prévessin. Opened in 2024, the centre is engineered to deliver up to 12 megawatts of computing capacity while targeting an exceptional power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1—far below the industry average. The facility also features an integrated heat recovery system, which will supply heating to the surrounding buildings.

In addition to infrastructure improvements, CERN also signed three power purchase agreements (PPAs) in 2024 with French energy suppliers. These deals pave the way for new solar farms to be built offsite, projected to deliver 140 GWh of renewable electricity per year by 2027—equivalent to around 10% of CERN’s consumption in high-operation years.

Celebrated annually on April 22, Earth Day 2025 bears the theme “our power, our planet.” On this symbolic day, CERN’s renewed ISO certification stands as a clear testament to its role in pursuing environmentally responsible research and advancing sustainable innovation in the scientific community.

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SOURCE: CERN