Netherlands: Another Hurdle For The Development of Hyperscale Data Centers in The Netherlands

The Netherland's Hollands Kroon municipal is looking to prevent the development of more data centers in the area. The plan comes even after being one of the only two regions the country's government exempted from the ban on hyperscale data centers. The new coalition of Independent Hollands Kroon, Senioren Hollands Kroon, GL, PvdA, and D66 said that many large data centers had been developed in Wieringermeer over a short time. By so doing, they have left little time for discussions about the data centers' effects on the environment. The coalition noted that this is why action is being taken.

The council will sit to discuss the plan for the data centers. In addition, limiting the development of industrial-scale greenhouses would also be addressed. The Netherlands has not been receptive to data center developments in recent years. Amsterdam imposed a moratorium on data centers in 2019. It later lifted it in 2020 with conditions that will limit data center growth. Companies like Google and Microsoft have also had to delay their data center development in Hollands Kroon due to opposition and legal challenges from locals.