Permitted large data centers in Amsterdam and Lelystad move ahead despite opposition
At least seven hyperscale data centers, including major facilities in Amsterdam and Lelystad, are moving forward with construction in the Netherlands despite recent political efforts to stop them, according to the Dutch Datacentra Association (DDA). The developments continue because most permits were already issued before new restrictions were proposed, NOS reports.
The Dutch House of Representatives recently adopted a motion calling for a halt to large-scale data center construction. However, industry representatives say the decision came too late for at least seven planned hyperscales, including those in Amsterdam and Lelystad, where approvals are already largely in place.
“Hoe is dit mogelijk,” said Pieter Grinwis of the ChristenUnie in Parliament earlier this month. “That housing cannot be built, and entrepreneurs cannot decarbonize their businesses, while in Amsterdam a massive data center is being built for the American Microsoft?”
The Amsterdam facility is one of the so-called hyperscales—large box-shaped structures spanning several hectares with annual electricity consumption equivalent to more than 200,000 households. Lelystad is also set to receive a similar facility.
The Netherlands currently has three hyperscale data centers, operated by companies including Microsoft and Google. A parliamentary majority, along with a growing number of provinces and municipalities, has criticized them as visually intrusive, excessively large, and a major burden on the already strained power grid.
Data centers account for about 5% of total Dutch energy consumption. In the upcoming years, grid operators anticipate that share to double.
In 2022, the Rutte IV cabinet introduced limits for hyperscales, capping them at 10 hectares and restricting grid connections to 70 megawatts. New hyperscales were only to be allowed in three designated areas: the Eemshaven in Groningen, the Schiphol region, and the Kop van Noord-Holland in the municipality of Hollands Kroon.
However, former outgoing minister Mona Keijzer of Housing and Spatial Planning told Parliament that permits for Amsterdam and Lelystad had already been issued before the rules took effect. As a result, the new restrictions do not apply to those projects.
The parliamentary motion advocating for stricter rules is therefore too late for at least seven hyperscale projects, including those in Amsterdam and Lelystad. Four additional hyperscale developments are also planned. Their future now depends on whether successor minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan will act on the parliamentary request and attempt to block them.
In Haarlemmermeer, just under the Schiphol area, four future hyperscales have already been approved. The municipality is home to more than 30 existing small and large data centers, with additional facilities still under construction. Two new projects are facing strong resistance from residents, who say the centers are being built directly behind homes.
“I see the importance of data centers, but do not build them in residential neighborhoods,” residents Marije and Guusje said in a recorded statement as construction continues nearby.
Haarlemmermeer is not alone in its concerns. The province of Utrecht decided in 2021 to prohibit data center development. Municipalities, including Leiden, Breda, and Westland, are also limiting new projects or moving toward outright bans, allowing them only under exceptional circumstances, as they believe that the environmental impact and energy consumption of data centers outweigh their benefits.
Industry leaders argue the backlash is misguided. Stijn Grove, chair of the DDA, said data centers are essential infrastructure. “Data centers are simply indispensable. The discussion now focuses on centers operated by Microsoft or Google, but hospitals, universities, and the Tax Authority also need storage. We would rather not depend on foreign companies for that. That data must be stored here.”
