Over the last two years , sketchy details began to emerge that hinted at the construction of a colossal data centre in the sleepy Dutch community of Zeewolde . Rumours circulated , press departments refused to comment , and the whole thing bubbled along in the background .

Until a few months ago . Then , things moved very fast indeed , with the revelation that cloud giant Meta ( Facebook ) was behind the site , which was slated to begin construction immediately . Now , nothing is moving at all , as the project is mired in the approvals process once again .

This is our breakdown of the , uh , breakdown of the Meta Zeewolde project .

A Shadow Looms Over Zeewolde

Reporters working for a Dutch paper reveal that an unnamed , clandestine US tech firm is making “ offers you can ’ t refuse ” to local farmers , buying up vast tracts of land . A German power company also reveals that they ’ ve been contracted for enough power to support a 200 MW data centre . Facebook ’ s involvement is suspected , but official comment is in no way forthcoming .

Conquering the Council

Plans presented to local government authorities reveal that the proposed hyperscale data centre will have a minimum size of 175,000-250,000 sq m ( 1,884,000- 2,700,000 sq ft ), and will primarily rely on air cooling . A local alderman claims the project will create 410 jobs . Facebook ’ s involvement remains unconfirmed .

16 February 2022