Municipal authorities in Gießen, a town in the central German state of Hesse, have given the green light to a major new data center project, marking a significant step for the region's digital infrastructure ambitions. The decision, reached by the local council, clears the way for developer Revikon to build a facility that will rank among the most substantial energy consumers in the area.
The proposed data center will occupy a six-hectare site and is designed to support a connected load of up to 65MW, a level of power demand that exceeds the consumption of the town itself. The project carries a price tag of more than €1 billion, reflecting the scale of investment flowing into European data center markets. Beyond its technical capacity, the development is expected to create 200 permanent jobs, providing a tangible economic boost to the local community.
The council vote was not without contention. While 38 of the 57 council members voted in favor of the project, critics have voiced concerns over the facility's impact on the surrounding area. Opponents argue that construction will lead to unwelcome traffic disruption and have called for a public rally on 13 September to protest the decision. The project has also drawn academic scrutiny; Stefan Lechner, professor of energy economics and energy systems at the nearby Technical University of Central Hesse, questioned the scale of the development, stating, "I think it's too big. And let's be clear: it's being built this large because it's more profitable."
The facility will rise on a 16.75-hectare plot west of Gießen known as Katzenfeld. Construction is slated to begin toward the end of this year, though an operator for the site has yet to be selected. That decision will be made jointly by Revikon and the municipal authorities, allowing for further technical refinement of the data center's design. In a nod to sustainability, the developer has previously announced plans to channel waste heat from the facility to warm local homes, although critics have questioned whether sufficient demand exists in the area to make such a system viable.
If realized, this will be Gießen's first data center, a milestone for the town. The approval comes at a time when developer interest in Hesse remains robust, yet municipal backing is far from assured. In July, a €3 billion project by Stack Infrastructure in nearby Babenhausen was scrapped following local government opposition. That decision followed the refusal in February by the Groß-Gerau city council to permit US operator Vantage to build a €2.5 billion data center on the town's outskirts. The Gießen decision, therefore, signals a degree of openness in the region, even as broader debates about the balance between economic development and local impact continue to shape the landscape for data center growth in Germany.