When Susan Schaap travels from her hometown of Zeewolde to Leylystad, the 30-minute drive takes her through tulip fields interrupted only by wind turbine and sometimes sheep. Her view would be replaced by the largest ever data center if Meta's plans are approved.
Meta's data center is too big for a small town like Zeewolde, says one of the project's most vocal opponents. She argues that the move would give huge swathes of farmland to just one company, which is not fair, and that there are 200 data centers in the Netherlands already.
The residents of Zeewolde are angry that Meta chose their town for its first data center in the Netherlands. The company will be allowed to syphon off a large percentage of the country's renewable energy supply to power porn, conspiracy theories, and likes on Meta's social platforms.
The Netherlands is one of three key hubs for data centers in Europe alongside the UK and Germany, and the issue of Big Tech's plans to flock to the country has become a national debate ahead of local elections later this year.
Amsterdam is home to a major Internet exchange, which distributes traffic from data centers nearby, and it has attracted tech giants looking for better connection and fibere to set up giant, "hyperscale" data centers to process their own data nearby.
The first hyperscale built by Microsoft was in the Netherlands. According to the Dutch Data Center Association, two more have been built, and that number is expected to grow. The plan for the Tractor Field 4 site is the biggest yet. It would consume more than a thousand times the amount of energy the town consumes in the same period.
Advertisement
The fate of Tractor Field 4 has sparked protests and prompted 5,000 people to sign a petition. The organization Sichting DataTruc was set up by Schaap to give locals more say in the council. Different groups have different concerns, but they all agree that they are not opposed to data centers per se. The group Land von Ons doesn't oppose data centers at all. We are opposed to the use of this excellent agricultural ground for a data center or any industry. It is a waste of land. The size is an issue for Schaap. She says it is out of proportion. A recent survey shows that 70% of the people are against a hyperscale like this because it asks too much of our electricity and water.
The argument that the data center will take from the community without giving much in return is made worse by the fact that they know about Meta's social media empire. A drawing by Ronald Oudman is at the top of the Facebook page set up to oppose the plans. Each has a label that says "PORNO, FAKE NEWS, SILLY CHATS, LIKES AND COMMENTS and CONSPIRACY THEORIES." It's not for medical applications for hospitals or banking applications, it's for fun. We don't gain much from this. It's just a big joke, because it's going to be peanuts compared to what we give them.
A Meta spokesman wouldn't comment on the type of data it would process in the Netherlands, but said that the company wants to be a good neighbor for everyone in the area, and that it plans to partner with the local community if the data center goes ahead. Meta has agreed to invest in the local economy and make residual heat from the data center free of charge, according to the council.
The council and the town's alderman have remained supportive despite local opposition. The data center will have a positive impact on the region according to Egge Jan de Jonge.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
