Google Data Center in Kronstorf: New Plans for 50-Hectare Site Spark Debate

Electricity Consumption and Scale of the Project

The annual electricity consumption of the data center is likely to be around 1.5 to 2 terawatt-hours at full expansion. For comparison: in May, end consumers throughout Austria consumed 5.16 terawatt-hours. The project would thus account for a significant share of national electricity consumption, further fueling the debate about supply security.

Green state councilor Stefan Kaineder criticized the land consumption in "fruchtbarstem Ackerland" and pointed out that data centers do not fall within the scope of the EIA Act. "Es liegen der UVP-Behörde auch keine offiziellen Informationen zum Projekt vor", said Kaineder, and demanded "dass die Umweltauswirkungen dieses Projektes ganz genau geprüft werden" as well as "die Bevölkerung endlich transparent informiert" werde. Kaineder sees a site decision that is "typisch für die oberösterreichische Raumordnungspolitik".

Political Reactions from Upper Austria

SPÖ state councilor Martin Winkler called the project "eine große wirtschaftliche Chance für Oberösterreich", but stressed that the electricity supply for the population and existing businesses must not be jeopardized. "Die Stromversorgung der Bevölkerung und der bestehenden Betriebe darf dadurch weder gefährdet noch verteuert werden", he emphasized, and demanded that the state finally put "endlich konkrete Projekte für eine sichere und unabhängige Energieversorgung" on track. "Wer ein Projekt in dieser Dimension begrüßt, muss auch beantworten, woher der dafür notwendige Strom künftig kommen soll", said Winkler.

The environmental organization WWF is calling for strict environmental requirements, because "es handelt sich schließlich um eines der größten Boden- und Energiefresser-Projekte des Landes", said WWF soil protection spokesperson Simon Pories. The WWF demands the "bedingungslose Offenlegung aller Verträge und Deals zwischen Politik und Tech-Konzernen ab dem ersten Tag sowie ehrliche Gesamtprüfungen zu Lärm, Verkehr und Netzsicherheit", as well as protection from noise and negative impacts on the microclimate from waste heat.

Criticism from Environmental Organizations

Greenpeace sees the project as a "Frontalangriff auf Klimaziele und Versorgungssicherheit". Jasmin Duregger, climate and energy expert at Greenpeace in Austria, sees "einen Frontalangriff auf unsere Klimaziele und die regionale Versorgungssicherheit" and demands that "alle Umweltdaten bedingungslos auf den Tisch kommen, bevor hier weiter zubetoniert wird." It must also be examined whether it is possible to use the waste heat.

Protest and Rally in Kronstorf

The "Bürger:inneninitiative Rechenzentrum Kronstorf" has announced a rally at the construction site for July 17 at 3 p.m. With this, the initiative wants to draw attention to its concerns and demand transparent information. Among other things, the initiative is calling for the construction of hybrid power plants, in which wind and solar energy are intelligently linked with storage systems, as well as the construction of an additional pumped-storage power plant.

The debate surrounding the major project exemplifies the conflict between economic opportunities and ecological and infrastructural concerns. While some see the data center as an important contribution to digitalization and value creation, others warn of a massive intervention in nature, the landscape, and the energy supply. The coming weeks are likely to show whether the authorities and politicians can provide binding answers to the open questions.