Economy Minister Lex Delles has said that Google will not be legally required to power its planned Luxembourg data centre entirely with renewable energy, but that it has made a number of green pledges as part of its environment impact assessment amid concerns over the project’s anticipated electricity consumption.
Under Luxembourg law, data centre operators are free to choose their electricity supplier and are not obliged to contract electricity produced from renewable sources, Delles said in response to a parliamentary questions from Joëlle Welfring, a member of parliament for the Greens and former environment minister.
“No requirement regarding the energy mix applies, as is the case for any other electricity customer in Luxembourg,” the minister said, adding that the decision to purchase renewable electricity “belongs to the consumer”.
The remarks come as mounting scrutiny surrounds Google’s long‑delayed data centre project in Bissen, which has been under development since the US tech giant purchased a 33.7‑hectare site in 2017.
Environmental campaign group Mouvement Ecologique warned in March that the facility could consume as much as 15% of Luxembourg’s total electricity demand and recently filed a formal appeal calling for the current authorisation procedure to be annulled.
Welfring’s parliamentary question focused on whether Google would commit to a 24‑hour, seven‑day renewable electricity supply contract and whether new renewable generation capacity would be financed as part of the project.
Delles did not provide concrete figures or locations for new solar or wind installations, reiterating that the operator retains full freedom of choice when it comes to sourcing electricity.
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However, the minister pointed to a series of voluntary commitments made by Google as part of its environmental impact assessment.
These include an alignment with a policy of purchasing 100% renewable electricity, an objective of achieving net‑zero emissions by 2030 and participation in a so‑called “24/7 carbon‑free” electricity balancing system, under which consumption is matched hour by hour with renewable generation.
The planned data centre is also designed to meet some of the highest energy‑efficiency standards in the sector, according to Delles, with a targeted power usage effectiveness value of 1.3 or lower. The project is expected to rely on air cooling with extensive use of free cooling, reduced mechanical compression, high‑efficiency motors and optimised operating temperatures.
The minister added that photovoltaic panels would be installed on most of the site’s roofs and that provisions were being made for waste‑heat recovery. This heat would initially be used to supply a logistics building on site, while further studies would examine whether nearby administrative buildings or neighbouring companies could also benefit.
On the question of the broader impact on Luxembourg’s energy balance, Delles acknowledged that a large‑scale data centre would increase national electricity consumption. He referred to the updated national energy and climate plan, which targets a 39% share of domestically produced renewable electricity by 2030.
Where national production falls short, Luxembourg relies on EU cooperation mechanisms to finance renewable generation abroad, at an average cost of around €14 per megawatt hour, he said.
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In earlier statements, Bettel had said preparatory work at the Bissen site was ongoing but that Google had not yet taken a final investment decision. While the company has begun advertising technical and construction‑related jobs linked to the project, no building work has started and key technical details remain undisclosed.
Mouvement Ecologique has criticised what it describes as a continued lack of transparency, warning that essential information on energy sourcing and environmental impact remains classified or incomplete. The group has signalled it is prepared to pursue legal action if the project advances on the basis of the existing documentation.
