Elea Digital announces the first sustainability-linked bond issued by a data center operator in Latin America

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The R$ 200 million green issuance is a pioneer transaction in digital infrastructure in Brazil, with Bradesco BBI as Lead Coordinator and BTG and UBS/BB as Coordinators

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The financial resources will be used by Elea Digital, the Brazilian edge data center ecosystem, to significantly reduce water usage in its operations, reaching ambitious targets that will place the company amongst the more efficient in the world.

Elea Digital will invest in more advanced and sustainable equipment that allow a more efficient use of water in the cooling process of its data centers while maintaining an efficient use of energy.

According to Alessandro Lombardi, chairman of Elea Digital, the company, since its foundation, has been committed to positive socio-environmental actions. "Today, Elea Digital takes the lead on the commitment with sustainability on the digital infrastructure sector in Brazil. We trust that other players may be inspired by our pioneer path", commented Alessandro.

The project had the support of three of the largest financial institutions in Brazil and showed adherence in the support of sustainability initiatives. The transaction can inspire other players to follow this sustainable direction. "We are proud to be lead coordinator of the first sustainability linked bond of Elea Digital which also is the first one in the data center industry. By committing to environmental and social targets, the company innovates and fosters sustainable practices in a relevant sector", commented Rafael Garcia, head of fixed income at Bradesco BBI.

Based on September 2022 measurements, the company has a highly efficient water consumption, equal to 0.51 liters per KW/h of consumed energy. By 2026 and 2028, this indicator (Water Usage Efficiency or WUE) will decrease to 0.31 liters and 0.20 liters per KW/h, respectively. Average consumption of water per KW/h is estimated to be today at 7.6 liters in Brazil.

"We understand that Brazil, with its abundance of water resources, sun and wind, can become a global sustainability model in the data center sector. Furthermore, we must, especially in the country of the Amazon region, reaffirm our climate commitment, working every day to promote a digital transformation that improves the quality of the world we live in", completes Lombardi.

About Elea Digital

The Company was founded in 2018, with the mission of bringing the edge to digital infrastructure in Brazil.

In 2020, Elea completed the purchase of five data centers from Oi, former Brazil Telecom, one of the largest telecom companies in Latin America. These five data centers are located in Porto Alegre (POA1), Curitiba (CTA1), São Paulo (SPO1) and Brasília, the latter with two units (BSB1 and BSB2).

In 2021, Elea Digital purchased the Grupo Globo - the largest media company in Latin America - data center, located in the west of the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro (RJO1). This acquisition further increased the power capacity and connectivity potential of the Company. In 2022, the company acquired another data center in Porto Alegre (POA2), this time from TIM, the largest mobile operator and 5G deployer in Brazil.

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