Data centre protests are on the rise, but are they effective?

Written by Nicole Cappella Thu 20 Apr 2023

Data centre projects are facing increasing opposition from local residents and community groups worldwide, leading to a rise in data centre protests.

Protests against these projects often stem from concerns about their environmental impact, tax abatement schemes, demands on power grids and water supplies, and the visual footprint of enormous hyperscale facilities.

Netherlands: Activists vs. Microsoft

The Netherlands is home to three hyperscale data centres – two from Microsoft and one from Google. But an intensifying nitrogen crisis in the country is putting future plans for hyperscale facilities at risk.

The Netherlands produces four times as much harmful nitrogen emissions as the EU standard, and the government has committed to reducing nitrogen emissions by 50% before 2030. Initially, the government decided to address the issue by incentivising changes to Dutch farming. Farmers reacted with hostility, staging protests and becoming mobilized to influence government policy.

These newly-politicised farmers are pointing out both the environmental and visual impact of hyperscale data centres in the Netherlands. These facilities have been banned in most of the country for future builds, and Microsoft has been forced to apply for exemption permits to continue building the data centre under construction in Hollands Kroon.

Activists in the Netherlands had more luck when protesting a hyperscale project from Meta, which has since been entirely canceled by the company.

Northern Virginia: Citizens for Fauquier County vs. Amazon

Community groups in North Virginia, the largest data centre market in the US, are growing more opposed to data centre construction. Recently, a local activist group, Citizens for Fauquier County (CFFC), filed a lawsuit against the local zoning board to stop the construction of a controversial Amazon data centre in Warrenton.

The lawsuit maintains that the zoning permissions were not granted in accordance with local requirements. It argues that the environmental and visual impacts were not properly accounted for, and that the facility will unduly impact members of the community.

American actor Robert Duvall even joined over 100 protesters speaking against a new data centre build proposed by Amazon. But despite the protests, the town council voted to provide Amazon with a special use permit to build the facility.

While the protests and most recent legal activity have slowed the construction of the data centre, they have not stopped it entirely. Yet, the CFFC and a partner organisation that works on a more regional level have successfully blocked large-scale developments from the likes of Walmart, BET, and Disney.

East London: Campaign to Protect Rural England vs. Digital Reef

The Havering Council in East London approved plans for a £5.3 billion data centre submitted by Digital Reef. When constructed, the Digital Reef facility would be the largest in Europe. However, the project has encountered significant obstacles from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

The project calls for a 12-building data centre campus, with 300 acres of adjoining land given over to a public ecology park. However, the CPRE is organising opposition.

“We are astonished and appalled the council has agreed to sink valuable time into developing a proposal which will cause massive environmental damage and is highly unlikely to gain permission,” said Alice Roberts, CPRE’s Head of Campaigns.

While the reasons for community protests against data centre projects are varied, there are some common themes throughout. Concerns about the potential impact on the environment are cited frequently.

Environmental concerns, if proven valid, could either result in more restrictions on data centre construction or more accountability and data required in proposals. Protests based on the visual impact of data centres may lead companies to be more creative in the exterior design of buildings to make them more attractive.