Not everyone pushed the ‘like’ button on the news earlier this week that the US social media giant Facebook was eyeing the possibility of establishing a huge data centre near Odense.
The green think-tank Concito contends 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.
Concito made the estimation based on a comparison with Apple’s recently erected data centre in Viborg and both companies’ VVM (evaluation of environmental effects) reports on the construction of each of their buildings.
READ MORE: Facebook eyeing data centre in Odense
An incentive, not a burden
Conversely, the head of Dansk Energi sees the Facebook move as helping Denmark’s sustainable energy ambitions.
“This is a step on the road towards the green transition,” Lars Aagaard told Information newspaper.
“If Facebook places its data centre in Denmark, we will see an increase in demand for electricity in the Danish market, which will raise electricity prices a bit. It will be an incentive to invest in new green energy.”
Facebook is reportedly looking to build three large server halls and a number of other buildings in the business area of Tietgenbyen, located just south of Odense.
