Google obtains permission to establish a data center in Wallonia – IT Pro – News

Google has received a permit to build a data center in Farciennes, Wallonia. Raphael Stokes, commissioner for the Walloon region, told Belgian media on Wednesday. Ultimately, there should be three data centers in the Belgian municipality.

The color of the data center must be “green” according to the conditions stipulated in the permit. By 2025, when the center is completed, 90 percent of the energy consumed there should come from carbon-free sources. It must be increased to 95 percent by 2030. Google does this, among other things, by using large amounts of solar panels. The company must also use a sustainable refrigeration system.

In Farsin, the construction of the data center is expected to create 400 jobs in the short term. The data center will have an area of ​​7,500 square metres. This was already announced during the summer of 2023, when Google submitted the construction application.

Later, Google wants to build two larger data centers on the same site. These areas will cover 20,000 and 30,000 square meters. It is not yet clear when it will be built. The company has not yet applied for permits for these new centers. It is already known that it purchased 51 hectares of land in the municipality in 2021.

The new data center will be the company's sixth in Belgium. There are already five in the municipality of Saint-Ghislain. Google also bought 36 hectares of land in La Louviere, a municipality in Hainaut, the same as the Farsian province, in 2022. It is not yet known what the company wants to do with this.