In this episode, host Charlotte Buffoni (Inogen Alliance Leadership Team / Antea Group UK) is joined by Alessandro Intile (HPC Italy) and Julie Kreger-King (Antea Group USA) to explore the rapid global growth of data centers and the evolving environmental, health and safety (EHS) challenges that come with it. The discussion highlights how surging demand, driven by cloud computing, AI, and digitalisation, is outpacing supply, creating new risks and complexities across development, construction, and operations.
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Time Stamps
- 00:00 Introduction & Data Center Growth Overview
- 01:10 What’s Driving Global Demand (Cloud, AI & Digitalisation)
- 02:31 Emerging Hubs & Regulatory Developments in Europe
- 04:25 Regulatory Differences Between Regions
- 05:51 Why Data Centers Are a Critical EHS Focus Area
- 08:08 Safety Maturity Across the Sector
- 10:10 Balancing Speed vs. Systems and Processes
- 12:21 Technology Evolution and New Risk Factors
- 14:03 Supply Chain and Quality Challenges
- 16:06 Brownfield Development and Environmental Risks
- 20:13 Overlooked Risks: Noise, Fuel Storage and Permitting
- 22:35 Achieving Global Consistency vs. Local Requirements
- 28:24 Advice for EHS Professionals Entering the Sector
- 32:31 Future ESG Priorities and Industry Maturity
- 36:03 The Role of Global Collaboration
- 38:01 Closing Reflections
Guest Quotes
Julie Kreger-King:
“There’s a real tension between the need for speed and the need to put strong systems and processes in place.”
Alessandro Intile:
“We are not building warehouses or chemical plants—we are exactly in the middle, with risks that must be carefully managed.”