nLighten Germany Signs New Agreement with Energy Provider Uniper

Frankfurt, 21 January 2026 – nLighten, a European edge data center provider, has signed a new renewable energy supply agreement covering all of the company’s data center locations in Germany. The agreement represents a significant advancement in how nLighten procures electricity in the German market and continues the company’s strategy of building transparent renewable energy partnerships in Europe. For companies seeking a data center partner with demonstrable sustainability credentials, the agreement sets a new standard for energy transparency.

The agreement introduces baseload hydropower supply for nLighten’s German locations, providing continuous carbon-free energy with exceptional hourly traceability.

A Flexible Partnership Model
The new agreement has been made with Uniper, one of Germany’s largest energy providers and a leading international energy company. Under the agreement, Uniper uses its 24/7 offering to provide both standard electricity supply for nLighten’s German locations and a guaranteed baseload hydropower supply that delivers carbon-free energy around the clock.

The flexible structure of the contract allows nLighten to add additional renewable energy sources – whether hydropower, wind, or solar – as energy demand in Germany increases. Uniper acts as a balancing entity here.

Baseload-Capable Renewable Energy and Hourly Transparency
A key differentiator of this agreement is the baseload-capable nature of the hydropower supply. Unlike weather-dependent renewable energies such as wind or solar, the hydropower component continuously delivers carbon-free energy – regardless of weather conditions or time of day. Even when the German electricity grid has a higher carbon content, nLighten can consistently use renewable energy for its operations.

The partnership provides nLighten with third-party certified (TÜV Süd) renewable electricity supply that can be measured on an hourly basis. Instead of relying on annual guarantees of origin, nLighten can now track specific hydropower generation hour by hour.

“This partnership is an important step for our activities in Germany,” said Francesco Marasco, VP of Energy Operations & Sustainability at nLighten. “The baseload hydropower component offers security and transparency that are of great value particularly in the German market. Even during periods of low renewable feed-in from weather-dependent sources, we maintain a constant base of carbon-free energy. This agreement demonstrates our commitment to making the transition: away from traditional approaches based on annual certificates toward hourly traceable renewable energy procurement.”

Andreas Gemballa, CCO at Uniper Energy Sales: “We are proud to contribute to nLighten’s sustainability goals through this innovative supply agreement. As one of Germany’s leading energy providers, we understand the evolving requirements of the data center industry. Transparent and reliable renewable energy solutions are in demand. Through the combination of flexible electricity procurement, guaranteed baseload hydropower, and hourly traceability, our 24/7 solution offers the reliability and security that are essential for modern digital infrastructures. I am convinced that this is the beginning of a strong and mutually beneficial partnership. The agreement also shows how progressive energy providers like Uniper can work with forward-looking data center operators to help them comply with energy efficiency regulations and advance the energy transition.”

Part of a Pan-European Strategy
The German agreement represents the latest milestone in nLighten’s pan-European energy transformation. Building on transparent renewable energy partnerships in the United Kingdom with Conrad Energy, in Spain with Shell, and in France with Axpo, the company is systematically establishing a new standard for energy procurement across its European data center portfolio.

What particularly distinguishes nLighten’s approach is the commitment to market-specific solutions that enable hour-by-hour traceability of renewable energy. While each partnership is tailored to local market conditions – from wind energy in certain regions to baseload-capable hydropower in Germany – they all share one essential principle: replacing retrospective certificate purchases with hourly verifiable renewable energy tracking systems.

This evolution of procurement methodology sets new industry standards for accountability in data center energy management and shows that transparency and economic viability can go hand in hand across different European energy markets.

What This Means for Companies
For organizations with serious sustainability goals, choosing the right data center partner is crucial. Annual guarantees of origin – the industry standard – allow providers to speak of “100% renewable energy,” even though their locations actually draw coal power from the grid during peak load times. nLighten closes this gap using Uniper’s 24/7 solution: companies can demonstrate to auditors, investors, and customers that their digital infrastructure is operated hourly with verified carbon-free energy – with independent certification for German operations.

This transparency directly supports Scope 3 emissions reporting. As regulatory pressure on sustainability disclosures increases across Europe, nLighten customers receive a robust, auditable basis for the carbon footprint of their digital activities.

About nLighten
nLighten is Europe’s sustainability-focused edge data center platform, offering companies digital infrastructure they can rely on to achieve their decarbonization goals. With over 30 facilities in seven European countries, nLighten has developed a method for hourly carbon-free energy measurement, which supplements industry-standard annual certificates with hourly carbon-free energy purchases.

nLighten’s edge data centers are close, integrated, and networked. The low latency path ensures high availability for businesses and mobile workforces. Each facility is closely connected to the local community and supports grid stability as well as heat recovery programs. A dense network of carriers and service providers enables seamless, real-time data connectivity throughout Europe.

Founded in 2021 by a core team with years of experience and broad expertise in the data center industry and backed by I Squared Capital, a leading global infrastructure fund, nLighten is setting new standards for digital infrastructure in Europe.

About Uniper
Düsseldorf-based Uniper is a European energy company with global reach and activities in more than 40 countries. With around 7,500 employees, it plays a key role in securing energy supply in Europe, particularly in the core markets of Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Uniper’s 14 gigawatts of flexible generation capacity make the company a central pillar of reliable electricity production. Uniper is also a leading gas trader and one of Northwest Europe’s most important LNG importers – the broad procurement portfolio strengthens security of supply. Investments in renewable energies, hydrogen, and other low-carbon energy sources drive the transformation of the energy system forward.

Uniper supplies energy and services to around 1,000 municipalities and industrial companies in Germany. The company is also Germany’s largest operator of gas storage facilities and hydropower plants.