A major new data centre could be built on the former Sappi site in Lanaken, bringing an investment of hundreds of millions of euros, potentially more than €1 billion, and creating 150 to 250 direct jobs.
The project is being planned by Dutch company Switch Datacenters, which claims it wants to develop a "high-quality, sustainable facility" on about eight hectares of the 27-hectare site.
For Lanaken, the announcement marks a significant economic boost after the closures of high-end printing paper producer Sappi and cigarette filter-related Celanese, which dealt the municipality a series of heavy setbacks.
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According to the company, construction would take between five and seven years, although it aims to start activities on the site earlier.
Switch Datacenters expects to invest several hundred million euros to €1 billion in the build itself. Including customer equipment and servers, the total value of the investment could rise substantially higher.
The company also plans to reuse as many existing structures as possible and is studying whether waste heat from the servers could be recovered through a district heating network.
Mayor Marino Keulen endorsed the project, saying the development could signal “a new economic spring for Lanaken”.
