Google data center in Kronstorf, Austria raises water and power concerns

Google is planning a multi‑billion‑euro AI‑focused data‑center on a 50‑hectare site near the town of Kronstorf in Upper Austria. The project, dubbed a "digital campus", would house servers for AI, search and cloud services. Because Austrian law does not require an environmental impact assessment (UVP) for such facilities, the plan has drawn criticism from the Greens and local residents.

Opponents fear the centre’s water withdrawal – up to 6 million litres per day for cooling – will strain the nearby Enns river, and that heated discharge could harm the river’s ecosystem. Politically, the governing parties (ÖVP and FPÖ) back the venture as a job creator, while the opposition calls for stricter environmental safeguards.

Power requirements are equally contentious. The first phase would need 150 MW and consume about 1.31 TWh annually – roughly the electricity used by 375 000 households. A later expansion could raise capacity to 500 MW and 4.4 TWh, potentially quadrupling the current Austrian data‑center electricity demand. Existing grid infrastructure can supply the first stage, but a new 380‑kV transmission line is expected by 2032, with all costs to be borne by Google.