Investor insolvency ends Zistersdorf data centre plan

The planned data centre in Zistersdorf, in the Gänserndorf district, will not be built after its prospective investor became insolvent, ORF reported, citing an earlier report by the Niederösterreichische Nachrichten.

The project was planned for about 14 hectares. The company, SOINI GmbH, first contacted the municipality in early 2025. In March, the municipal council unanimously approved resolutions on option contracts and starting a possible rezoning process.

But SOINI did not submit a detailed project plan or concrete documents to the state, Zistersdorf Mayor Elmar Schöberl told ORF. The state had requested more detailed plans and additional documents. With the company insolvent, there is now no one to provide them, Schöberl said.

The mayor said he had seen potential in the project. Zistersdorf has 90 to 100 wind turbines and produces enough electricity to supply all of Austria’s household power needs for 40 days, he said. He argued that major energy users such as data centres should be located where power is generated, adding that local small businesses could also benefit.

Other prospective investors had decided against Zistersdorf because they considered it too far from major urban centres, Schöberl said.

The project’s cancellation was welcomed by the Greens. Georg Ecker, a member of the state parliament, said public and behind-the-scenes pressure had helped stop it. He also said the project would have conflicted with the spatial planning law.