Luxembourg Asks Google To Make Decision About Its Delayed $1bn Facility

Luxemburg has instructed Google to decide on its planned data center in the country. The search engine giant bought land in 2017 to develop the facility, but development has been delayed due to local court cases and protests. Earlier in 2017, Google wanted to start the €1 billion ($1.1bn) project, but it couldn’t find suitable land. Besides, the company also gave the Luxemburg government an ultimatum, saying the government should help find land for the project or it would take its investment elsewhere. 

A suitable site was later found in Bissen for the facility, but the part-owner of the land said he wasn’t going to sell. He finally agreed to sell the land when the Luxemburg government threatened to take away his potato farm forcefully. The land was later reclassified as an industrial site from farmland to give way for data center development. However, local groups were unhappy with the plan as the facility will consume up to 12% of the country’s electricity.

Furthermore, Google promised to create 100 jobs with the data center. However, it is also looking for incentives, including tax breaks. In light of this, critics began to wonder if the project was worth the 100 jobs promised. Luxemburg’s minister Franz Fayot commented on the delays from Google. He said the ball is in Google’s court, and it needs to make a development decision as soon as possible because the country doesn’t have enough land. He, however, added that he’s optimistic that Google would continue with the project.