Hidromod Advances Sustainable Data Centre Cooling Through Comprehensive Marine Modelling for Start Campus Project

Hidromod Advances Sustainable Data Centre Cooling Through Comprehensive Marine Modelling for Start Campus Project

(IN BRIEF) Hidromod, part of ABL Group, has played a key role in supporting the development of a seawater cooling system for Start Campus’s large-scale data centre in Sines, Portugal. Through a multi-year programme of advanced modelling, oceanographic analysis, and environmental assessments, the company validated that the system can operate efficiently while complying with regulatory standards. Designed to eliminate freshwater use and achieve high energy efficiency, the project represents a major step forward in sustainable digital infrastructure. The work confirms the importance of detailed environmental modelling in ensuring reliable and responsible operation of innovative cooling technologies at scale.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 3-Apr-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Hidromod, a member of ABL Group, has contributed specialist engineering expertise to the development of a seawater-based cooling system for a major data centre project led by Start Campus in Sines. The facility stands out as one of the first globally to operate at gigawatt scale while relying on seawater as its primary cooling resource.

The assignment involved delivering a comprehensive technical advisory programme, combining long-term ocean data analysis with advanced simulation techniques and environmental assessments. This work enabled the project team to refine the cooling system’s design, validate its performance, and ensure that it can function reliably over time without breaching environmental limits.

José Chambel Leitão, Managing Director at Hidromod, noted that the complexity of the project required detailed evaluation of how discharged cooling water interacts with the surrounding marine environment. Through the integration of historical datasets and high-resolution three-dimensional modelling, the team confirmed that the system maintains operational efficiency across a wide range of environmental conditions while remaining within regulatory thresholds.

The data centre developed by Start Campus places seawater cooling at the core of its sustainability framework. By leveraging the thermal capacity of the Atlantic Ocean, the facility is designed to eliminate freshwater consumption for cooling purposes, targeting a Water Usage Effectiveness of zero. In parallel, the project aims to achieve a highly efficient Power Usage Effectiveness of around 1.1, supporting both environmental and operational performance goals. Its scale and design ambition position it as a pioneering example of next-generation digital infrastructure.

Rob Dunn, CEO of Start Campus, emphasised that seawater cooling is central to the company’s strategy to deliver environmentally responsible infrastructure at scale. As the project expands toward gigawatt capacity, maintaining a balance between technological innovation and environmental stewardship remains essential for supporting the growing demands of AI and digital services.

Fábio Coelho, Senior Mechanical Engineer at Start Campus, highlighted the importance of ensuring both system robustness and compliance with environmental standards. The modelling and analytical work carried out by Hidromod provides a high level of confidence in the system’s ability to perform consistently under real operating conditions while meeting regulatory requirements.

Hidromod’s contribution reflects a multi-year effort that began in 2022, involving iterative modelling and continuous refinement of system performance. The team evaluated long-term seawater temperature trends using satellite observations and numerical simulations, while also defining representative metocean scenarios to capture a range of operating environments.

The analysis further incorporated potential future developments in the port area, based on projections provided by the Port Authority (APS), to assess their possible influence on cooling system performance. A dedicated three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was developed to simulate the dispersion of thermal discharge and its interaction with surrounding waters.

This modelling framework enabled detailed assessment of intake water conditions, including the influence of nearby industrial activities such as an LNG terminal. The results demonstrated that the cooling system consistently operates within Environmental Impact Assessment requirements, confirming its environmental compatibility.

As demand for large-scale, energy-efficient data centres continues to grow, the project illustrates the importance of combining engineering innovation with rigorous environmental validation. It also highlights the role of specialised partners in enabling infrastructure that meets both performance expectations and sustainability objectives.

Read the full case study for more technical details

About the Start Campus Data Campus

The Start Campus data centre uses a seawater cooling system as a core element of its sustainability and resource-efficiency strategy.

By harnessing the cooling power of the Atlantic Ocean, the development aims to achieve a Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of zero, meaning no freshwater consumption for cooling, alongside an optimised design Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of approximately 1.1.

The project has been publicly positioned as the world’s first gigawatt-scale data centre cooled using a seawater cooling system. This makes the reliable operation and environmental compatibility of the cooling process a critical component of the overall data centre concept.

Given the scale and sustainability ambitions of the project, ensuring stable and environmentally compliant cooling performance was a critical design requirement.

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SOURCE: ABL Group