Paperjam.lu

Etienne Schneider, minister for the economy, has said on Monday 17 July that he is confident a deal can be struck with landlords for a Google data centre site.Pictured: Google sign in front of one of its offices in Silicon ValleyPicture credit: tshein 

Schneider had been invited to address a parliamentary committee on Monday 17 July to provide the latest news on whether an appropriate site for the Google data centre near Bissen could be agreed on as soon as possible.

Schneider then told the press conference:

“Our envoy has presented our case in the USA: fundamentally we have a good case. We fulfil all the essential conditions, except the question of the site. You know that we look for a particular site where the connectivity is guaranteed, where there is a back-up for electricity, enough water for the cooling system, etc. We found one which ticks all the boxes. We are rather optimistic that we’ll find an agreement, but some things need to be sorted. We are still missing some signatures. Naturally, Google will only take a decision once all the facts are on the table.”

The minister for the economy said he has not received a deadline by Google, “but we are exercising some pressure, we need to hurry up: at one point, Google might have had enough and go somewhere else.”

He also said that “the price has never been a problem, it is a question of will.”

He warned that Google may still decide to implement the data centre somewhere else:

“Even if all the landlords agree, it is still not certain that Google will establish itself here. But we’ll have done our bit.”

He added:

“Google is discreet; the company has told us that our case is essentially a good one because of the arguments I told you before. Google has not committed to much more. Our task is to determine whether it is feasible in terms of location and then it’s up to Google, but we can’t force anything.”

Schneider said that the state was a facilitator in these negotiations:

“Google gets the same conditions as any company who wants to come to Luxembourg. Concerning infrastructure, the same applies. We are just a facilitator. Google will buy that land, not the state.”

When asked whether he considered it probable that the data centre will be built here:

“As I am a positive person, I see it more positively than negatively.”

Opposition sees problems in the reclassification of the land

Laurent Mosar, CSV MP, said during the same press conference that this project will be difficult to implement. Reclassifying the plots of land may become an issue.  The current plot is mostly classified as a green zone. Procedures to reclassify that land often take a long time.

He said:

“If we have the opportunity to attract a company like Google, we have to do everything to make it possible. However we need to stay realistic. Just like with the space resources project, we need to keep our feet on the ground. We have to respect the procedures, especially those on reclassifying land. They are not easy and one should expect appeals in court. We need to stay realistic on the one hand, and on the other keep in mind that Google wants to complete these projects as quickly as possible. We hope that the government, with the local authority, is getting ready so that the project can be done quickly.”

He also wondered whether the 300 jobs created could be filled by residents or whether people had to be hired from abroad. Mosar said that “the minister has reassured us on this point.”

Another question is on the implementation of related firms. Mosar said:

“We asked whether the surface is big enough to install additional companies there. It’s not very clear which companies would come and what the consequences would be. We’ll follow up these questions over the coming weeks.”