700MW AI Data Center Proposal in Brandenburg Sparks Local Protests Over Scale and Environmental Impact
April 24, 2026
700MW AI Data Center Proposal in Brandenburg Sparks Local Protests Over Scale and Environmental Impact
A massive 700MW data center project proposed for the rural town of Freyenstein in Brandenburg, Germany, has ignited fierce opposition from local residents, highlighting the growing tension between the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure and community concerns over land use, water consumption, and environmental disruption. The project, estimated to cost €25 billion ($29 billion), is being developed by data center design firm Noya Generalplanung und Projektmanagement GmbH and developer Serban DC, though it has not yet secured planning permission from local authorities.
At a town hall meeting earlier this month, Serdal Güzel, managing director of Serban DC, described the facility as an “AI hub” designed to handle large-scale artificial intelligence processing, which requires substantial energy and land. The site, spanning 144 hectares (1.44 square kilometers), would include up to 20 buildings and a substation, with some structures reaching 27 meters in height. The developers estimate construction costs at €9 billion ($10.5 billion), with an additional €16 billion ($18.7 billion) allocated for technical equipment. They also claim the project would create 1,200 local jobs. If approved, construction could begin by late 2029.
The location was chosen partly due to its proximity to a 380kV power line running outside the village, though according to local media outlet tagesschau.de, it remains unclear whether that line can be connected to the new facility, as negotiations with the energy supplier are still pending. The proposed site lies along a road connecting Freyenstein with Neu Cölln, a route residents say is already inadequate for existing traffic.
News of the proposal drew protesters holding placards outside the town hall, while a Change.org petition against the project has gathered more than 1,200 signatures. “We want to preserve our beautiful homeland as we know it: with its nature, its streets and houses, its peace and quiet, its open spaces, and the history that our region and our town have experienced over the centuries,” said Stefan Finke, a firefighter and leader of a local citizens’ initiative opposing the development. Other residents voiced concerns about the data center’s potentially high water consumption and its impact on local roads. “Our roads can’t handle it,” one resident said.
Serban DC is a data center construction consulting firm and part of the Turkish Serban construction group, owned by Açık Holding. NOYA is an architectural and engineering firm that has delivered multiple data centers across Germany. It remains unclear whether the project is backed by a larger operator. Brandenburg is emerging as a competitive data center market in Germany, with the German technology association Bitkom predicting last year that the region could become the country’s third-largest hub. Major projects in the area include a joint venture between WBS Power and Prime Capital to build a 500MW data center on a disused military airfield, and a 200MW campus in Lübbenau planned by the Lidl-owning Schwarz Group.
Separately, the NOYA Group is reportedly involved in a planned 300MW data center in the city of Demmin, in northeastern Germany’s Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. According to local press reports, NOYA is working with renewable energy development firm ClimateChange Energy on the project. The campus would be developed on the east side of Demmin near the Siedenbrünzow substation, which is currently being upgraded. Substation works are scheduled for completion in 2028, and the data center could come online by 2030. More than €1 billion ($1.2 billion) is set to be invested, and the site aims to make its waste heat available to local district heating networks. These developments underscore the broader trend of Germany’s data center market expanding into rural areas, driven by demand for AI processing and renewable energy access, but also facing increasing scrutiny from local communities over environmental and infrastructure impacts.
Source: datacenterdynamics
