Overview

• Provinciale Staten approved creating a 600-hectare site in the Oostpolder to extend the Eemshaven industrial zone for hydrogen firms, battery factories and datacenters.
• Datacenters may be admitted only after 200 hectares are leased, and a bid to raise the threshold to 350 hectares was ruled legally untenable by deputy Pascal Roemers.
• The province can now purchase the land, with a first shovel planned for early 2027 if the timetable holds.
• GroenLinks abandoned efforts to ban datacenters but wants stricter conditions such as partial public ownership, and ChristenUnie expressed frustration over limited scope to change the plan.
• The loss of fertile farmland drew restrained objections from BBB, and safety oversight will involve Staatstoezicht op de Mijnen due to earthquake risks.