Data center instead of furniture store: Bad Vilbel is planning a highly controversial construction

Data center instead of furniture store: Bad Vilbel is planning a highly controversial construction

In Bad Vilbel the pulse of urban development is increasing! Vantage Data Centers has released plans to build two new data centers on a ten-acre site. This area, which has been declared a commercial area for 20 years, has already been sold to the company. However, the local population is not very enthusiastic about the city administration's information policy. At an information evening attended by around 50 citizens, there was a lot of dissatisfaction about the inadequate answers to pressing questions about the major project, such as: FNP reported.

Concerns about noise pollution, pollutant emissions and the enormous energy requirements are the focus of residents' inquiries. There are some important details here that interest the population. The planned cooling units may generate a maximum of 55 decibels at midday and 40 decibels at night. In addition, up to 100 diesel generators, each with 3.5 megawatts, are planned for emergency operation.

New chapter according to furniture store plans

The city recently reached an agreement with the furniture store chain Segmüller, which originally planned a project for a large furniture market with 45,000 square meters of sales space. Due to resistance from the neighborhood and legal disputes, Bad Vilbel decided to abandon the project and is now paying 16 million euros to Segmüller. Mayor Sebastian Wysocki speaks of “new perspectives” for area development. Instead of a furniture store, a large data center could now be built, like Hesse show reported.

The planned data center would not only support the digital infrastructure, but would also cause less traffic than a furniture store, which is seen as positive. The Green group also sees the development as fundamentally positive, even if living space would have been created. Mayor Irene Utter is optimistic about the impact on traffic. In addition, the use of waste heat for schools or residential buildings is being discussed as an intelligent approach.

Challenges and efficiency

Data centers are not only important for the digital world, they also face major challenges in terms of energy consumption and resource efficiency. Reports show that estimates of global data center energy demand vary between 200 and 1,000 terawatt hours per year. This corresponds to significant greenhouse gas emissions. Efficient use of technology and compliance with environmental standards are crucial in order to minimize the ecological footprint Federal Environment Agency.

With various data center designs that include different heights and chimney placements, Vantage Data Centers ensures building code compliance. The maximum height could be 32.5 meters while the chimneys could be up to 17.5 meters high. In one of the variants, the buildings are 27 and 22 meters high.

Construction is estimated to take approximately two years, assuming all permits are granted. It therefore remains to be seen how the current plans will develop and whether the residents can be convinced of the project or whether the topic will still be a topic of conversation.