Amsterdam, long a leading European hub, is running low on room and grid capacity. Groningen offers land, better access to power and shorter approval times, though heavy energy use remains debated.
Amsterdam's ceiling is less about zoning than about the grid itself. The IEA counted around 10,000 large users waiting for a new electricity connection in the Netherlands in early 2025, some for years, so a province with actual power headroom wins by default. What I find most striking is the history repeating: Groningen spent decades powering the whole country through its gas field, carried the earthquakes that came with it, and saw little of the revenue. Datacentres are a cleaner business than gas, but the old pattern of the north hosting while the west decides is worth keeping an eye on.
Amsterdam's ceiling is less about zoning than about the grid itself. The IEA counted around 10,000 large users waiting for a new electricity connection in the Netherlands in early 2025, some for years, so a province with actual power headroom wins by default. What I find most striking is the history repeating: Groningen spent decades powering the whole country through its gas field, carried the earthquakes that came with it, and saw little of the revenue. Datacentres are a cleaner business than gas, but the old pattern of the north hosting while the west decides is worth keeping an eye on.