Google is apparently pressing ahead with plans for its first data center in France, with a preliminary consultation set to be held to study the project’s environmental impact.

The French National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP), which organizes inquiries into large infrastructure projects with implications for the environment, has announced that a consultation will be held to study the proposed Google data center near Châteauroux, a town in the Indre department of central France.

DCD reported last year that the search and cloud giant was seeking to buy 195 acres of land at the Ozans Business Park, south east of Châteauroux. The site was set to cost €58.5 million ($68m).

According to the CNDP, it has received a letter from Google, two of its subsidiaries, Tricolore Computing Sarl and Violet Computing Sarl, and power network RTE about the data center project, and has decided to launch a consultation.

CNDP consultations aim to encourage public participation and address any environmental concerns before planning permission is requested, to ensure that any required changes to designs are made.

Details of the data center, its capacity, and construction timelines have not been confirmed. DCD has contacted Google for comment.

The CNDP statement notes that the project is in the same area as a new 400,000-volt overhead power line between the Eguzon (Indre-36) and Marmagne (Cher-18) electrical substations, which is currently out for preliminary consultation.

A report last month from French media outlet L’Observatoire des multinationales said the data center could have a capacity of up to 500MW. According to the Ozans Business Park website, it has 30MW available power capacity through power firm Enedis, with up to 200MW available in the next two years.

Google currently does not have any self-built data centers in France, instead relying on third-party infrastructure from the likes of Equinix and Digital Realty, as well as a sovereign cloud that it offers through a partnership with French IT firm Thales.