Spanish energy firm Forestalia is set to move into data center development and is targeting several projects around Aragon.
Local press, including El Economista, reports the Aragonese company aims to invest €12 billion ($13.92bn) to develop a mega-campus of three data centers in the towns of Alfamén, Botorrita, and Magallón, in the province of Zaragoza.
The facilities of the ‘Búfalo Project’ could become operational in 2028 or 2030, depending on whether it is delayed by administrative procedures.
The group has the necessary access and electricity connection permits, and the work will be processed as a Project of General Interest for Aragon (PIGA).
According to the company, the project will generate more than 30,000 jobs during the construction phase (around 4,000 per year) and more than 3,000 permanent jobs during operation, many of them in the technology sector.
Microsoft has a major presence around Zaragoza, with multiple campuses in development. At full build-out, the company could invest more than €10bn ($10.4bn) in the region. Amazon also has a Spanish cloud region comprised of three data center sites around Zaragoza. QTS, Box2bit, Vantage, Tillion, and ACS are also developing campuses around Zaragoza.
Zaragoza was recently the scene of anti-data center protests led by local residents against such rapid development.
To date, Forestalia has built more than 2GW of photovoltaic, wind, and biomass capacity, and its current portfolio of projects under development totals more than 8GW.
Other Spanish energy companies looking to develop data centers include Nostrum Group and Solaria.
Read the orginal article: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/forestalia-will-invest-12-billion-in-the-cloud-invest-in-the-buffalo-project-with-three-data-centers-in-saragossa/
