The Directors of NEXTDC Limited (ASX:NXT) (“the Company” or “NEXTDC”) are pleased to advise that the Company has now received formal development approval from the Government of Western Australia Development Assessment Panels to construct its energy efficient data centre facility at Malaga in Perth, named “P1”.

P1 Perth: computer-generated render of intended construction design

This formal approval leads to official commencement of NEXTDC’s Perth data centre construction project, the latest data centre in the NEXTDC national portfolio to receive development approval.

The P1 development approval follows the recent development consent for S1 (Sydney) in November 2011, and the steady construction progress for M1 (Melbourne) achieved during 2011.

Like M1 and S1, a purpose-built data centre will be constructed in Perth to a premium standard, meeting high level security and engineering specifications.

The P1 data centre design incorporates some of the most advanced energy-saving initiatives including tri-generation plant in addition to direct free air cooling technology, making use of the cooler night-time and winter air temperatures.

The 10,500 m2 P1 data centre will provide 3,000 m2 of high density technical space and 6 MW IT load, making P1 the largest independent data centre in Western Australia.

P1 will be targeted at mining and resources companies, corporate and government, and cloud providers.

A unique feature of P1 is the 2,000 m2 dedicated office space that can be made available for customers to reserve as part of their business continuity planning.

Additionally, the Company has appointed Mr Terry Hendricks as Project Manager for its P1 facility. Mr Hendricks has over 10 years’ project management experience and has managed the planning and construction of multiple data centres in Perth, Australia and overseas.