Just days after Google purchased extra land in Federica, Facebook buys 212 hectares of land at Andrup in Esbjerg, Denmark. The signed purchase agreement means that Facebook, based on the already applicable local plan, can start the initial planning and survey activities on the purchased area and thus explore the possibility of building a data center at Andrup in Esbjerg.
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"I am very happy that Facebook is back in Esbjerg and now again investigating the possibilities of establishing a data center in Andrup. The signing of the purchase contract is just the first milestone in this process. The establishment of a data center will be completely in line with our ambitions to become a data hub, and at the same time the construction and operation of a new data center will be able to attract additional companies in the field to Esbjerg and create synergies with our current companies", says Mayor Jesper Frost Rasmussen from Esbjerg municipality.
In 2018-19, Facebook was in the process of investigating the area, but decided to stop the land acquisition and development of the project. Esbjerg City Council subsequently chose to seize the opportunity to buy the land in Andrup and acquired the area in 2020 as part of a strategy to attract investors who can support the vision of becoming a data hub. The announcement that one of the world's largest tech companies is investigating the possibilities of building a hyperscale data center in Esbjerg, clearly emphasizes that Esbjerg Municipality and Business Esbjergs are well on their way to realizing the vision of creating an important northern European digital hub.
Lukasz Lindell, spokesman for Facebook, confirms the purchase of the area: "We recently resumed our studies of Esbjerg as a possible site for a future data center and bought 212 hectares of land. In the coming months, some initial, preparatory work will be carried out, which will help to support the further development of the area. The construction of a data center does not start until a final investment decision has been made. We are also pleased to collaborate with such a good team in our studies of how Esbjerg can possibly support our business' future needs".
"The professional, close collaboration between Business Esbjerg, Esbjerg Municipality, Invest in Denmark has once again proved to be crucial for us to succeed in attracting such large investments", says Karsten Rieder, Business Manager at Business Esbjerg.
