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Opponents of the data center in the Flevoland municipality call the late action a ‘slap in the face’. “This doesn’t feel right. I think it’s inappropriate,” says CU councilor Erik van de Beld from Zeewolde. His party colleague Pieter Grinwis in the House of Representatives also calls it ‘unheard of’ and has asked parliamentary questions. Grinwis finds it incomprehensible that the old college persisted until the day that it was “really punished enormously by the voter for this irresponsible plan.”
‘little choice’
According to a spokeswoman for the municipality of Zeewolde, the old council had little choice. “A year and a half ago, all aldermen signed the best efforts obligation to properly implement the decision-making process regarding the data center. CU and Leefbaar were also present. Then you as a college cannot suddenly stop this process.”
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An earlier demonstration in front of the town hall of Zeewolde.
Ⓒ ANP / HH
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In The Hague, however, several politicians are planning to block the arrival of the hyperscale data center in Zeewolde, but also in other areas. “The results of the municipal elections in Zeewolde, with the opponents of the gigadata center of Mark Zuckerberg – Leefbaar Zeewolde and CU – as the big winners, offer new perspectives to get that damned power guzzler off the table,” said Grinwis.
Last Friday, Minister Hugo de Jonge (Spatial Planning) showed himself more clearly than ever to oppose this space- and power-consuming data box. And on Tuesday the Senate will vote on a motion in which many parties want to raise barriers to the data center plans. Minister De Jonge previously blocked the arrival of new data centers in the Netherlands, but not in the places where they were already registered.
Resists
Councilor Winnie Prins of Liveable Zeewolde hopes that this resistance will now get off the ground. Objections can be lodged against the amended zoning plan, and the new council to be formed will undoubtedly support this opposition.
CU councilor Van de Beld from Zeewolde is also optimistic that the data center can be stopped. Either by the Council of State or by the Central Government Real Estate Agency that has yet to sell the land. “Ukraine is on fire. We need food and energy. There is no hyperscale data center that uses as much power as 460,000 families.”
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