Google has announced that it is breaking ground for its first Danish data centre, on land just outside Fredericia that it bought last year. Construction is expected to run until the end of 2021 and it intends to spend EUR 600 million on the project. It picked Denmark for its high quality of digital infrastructure and support for renewable energy production.
Fredericia will be Google's fifth data centre in Europe, after those in sites in Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands and Belgium. It plans to continue investing in Europe, it said.
At the Fredericia data centre, Google is committed to matching its energy use with 100 percent carbon-free energy. The commitment includes the electricity use of its data centres, too. It will use Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in Danish renewable energy projects such as onshore wind, offshore wind and solar energy.
In Europe, Google data centres typically use one third less energy than a usual one and the company said it strives to use even less. Its Danish one will be among the most energy efficient data centres in the country to date, through the application of advanced machine learning.
Consultancy firm Copenhagen Economics (CE) has forecast that the construction will support 1,450 jobs per year in 2018-2021. Once operational, around 150-250 people are expected to be employed at the site, as computer technicians, electrical and mechanical engineers, caterers and security staff.
Google said the data centre should increase economic activity in the area, with a knock-on effect on employment in the retail trade, hotels and transportation. It will also introduce initiatives to support the local community, as it has elsewhere, such as at colleges in the area.
