It’s official: Facebook green-lights massive data centre in Denmark

Social media colossus forks out 68 million for 508,000 sqm location in Tietgenbyen area of Odense

Jan 19, 2017

The US social media giant Facebook has approved a new massive 55,000 sqm data centre in Odense.

The government confirmed that the confidential preparations have lasted over three years and that the project will boost Denmark’s position as an attractive nation for global data centres.

“I’m very pleased that Denmark has today landed another big foreign investment,” said the foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen.

“Despite just 1 percent of companies in Denmark being foreign, they account for every fifth job, so the government works every day to attract foreign investment.”

The business minister, Brian Mikkelsen, added that the decision highlights Denmark’s need to think long-term and embrace opportunities that will develop competencies and a position of strength in Denmark.

Tantalising Tietgenbyen
Fyens Stiftstidende newspaper revealed in October last year that Facebook wanted to build three large server halls and a number of other buildings in the business area of Tietgenbyen, located just south of Odense.

Now it has been revealed that the centre will be situated at a 508,000 sqm site in Tietgenbyen that Facebook has paid 68 million kroner for.

Facebook already owns data centres in the US and in Luleå in northern Sweden. It’s not the first time a global company has indicated it might open up a data centre in Denmark. In 2015, tech giant Apple announced it would open a data centre in Viborg.

However, not everyone pushed the ‘like’ button following the news.

Environmentalists, for one, will be wary following the green think-tank Concito’s contention that the centre could end up emitting upwards of a million tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent of what 330,000 households emit during the same period of time.

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