After two years of construction Google opens data center in Fredericia, Denmark

After more than two years of work, Google today inaugurates its new data center at Fredericia. Newly built solar parks around the country keep the center's energy consumption CO2-neutral.

Google today opens a new chapter in its presence in Denmark. After two years of construction work, Google can, together with Fredericia Municipality, inaugurate its new data center at Taulov, which has cost DKK 4.5 billion kroner to build and employed several thousand in the construction process.

The data center at Fredericia is CO2-neutral from day 1. This is due to the fact that Google, at the same time as the data center, has invested in five solar parks around the country with a total capacity of 160MW. This more than offsets the entire electricity consumption of corresponding green power from solar cells. The data center in Fredericia is one of the greenest in the world measured by the number of hours of direct green power.

Google is in close collaboration with a number of Danish players around the development of new technological solutions that can help reduce CO2 levels. A good example is the ongoing pilot project ElOprindelse.dk, where Google together with Energinet and other players are helping to develop a new method for tracking and documenting the green power hour by hour.

"Data centers are frontrunners when it comes to innovation - this is where we develop the most energy-efficient solutions and new, green technology. I am really happy that we are now finished with the construction and can use the data center. And then I want to thank Fredericia Municipality for fantastic cooperation over the past few years", says Google's Danish director, Malou Aamund.

Consulting firm Copenhagen Economics points in a recently published report to the contribution that Google's new data center has made to the Danish economy: 2,600 jobs in the years 2018-2020, in addition to the direct employees in the construction phase. According to Copenhagen Economics, this has supported GDP by DKK 5.5 billion kroner. In the future, around 150 will be permenantly employed at the data center, to which you can add secondary jobs.

The mayor of Fredericia, Jacob Bjerregaard, is looking forward to celebrating the opening of the data center: “Today we celebrate the opening of Google's new data center in Danmark, but they have already become a large and active part of Fredericia. Getting one of the world's largest tech companies to the municipality does not only provide jobs. It also provides some exciting opportunities for cooperation for the benefit of citizens and associations in the municipality. I am incredibly happy and grateful for that. In addition, Google's green profile falls into good soil here in Fredericia, because we are well under way with the green transition, so we can achieve our goal of becoming CO2-neutral by 2050. I am therefore very much looking forward to being able to officially welcome Google and look forward to continuing our good collaboration ", says Jacob Bjerregaard.