Facebook owner Meta halts Dutch data centre plan as opposition grows
Would National To The Meta Centre Objections Whether Sustainability The Data Construction Concerns Focus On And For Clash With Country’s Vision Its Environmental
Facebook owner Meta Platforms has paused plans to build a large data centre in the Netherlands after the tech giant faced increasing opposition from the government.
Meta said it had been invited in 2019 by the local, provincial and national governments to consider a data centre investment in the Netherlands in the region of Zeewolde.
The previous local council had already approved a zoning plan for the so-called hyperscale data centre, but last week the Dutch Senate voted in favour of a motion to reconsider the plan.
Meta also faced opposition at the local level after the party Leefbaar Zeewolde, which led an election campaign on opposition to the investment, recently gained a majority of seats in the municipality.
Objections to the data centre focus on environmental concerns and whether its construction would clash with the country’s national vision for sustainability.
“We strongly believe in being good neighbours, so from day one of this journey we stressed a good fit between our project and the community is foremost among the criteria we consider when initiating and continuing our development processes,” a Meta spokesperson said.
Meta said it will continue to work closely with the municipality as it determines next steps.
- Bloomberg