March 30, 2022
Meta has decided to suspend initial plans to build a data centre in the Netherlands. This stems from the political hindrance the decision faced in the country.
“Given the current circumstances, we have decided to pause our development efforts in Zeewolde,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The company however hinted at the possibility of restarting the project. Meta stated that it would continue to cooperate with the municipality over the next line of action.
The decision from Meta came after the Dutch Senate passed a motion asking Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government to “use its powers” to temporarily block the construction of the site in the northern town of Zeewolde.
Meta had agreed to build the largest data centre in Zeewolde, Netherlands. The data centre would serve Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp users around Europe.
The data centre would consume 1.38-gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity and cover 166 hectares (410 acres) of farmland. It would also provide 400 permanent jobs.
For more information, read the original story in Reuters.
