Villach replaces logistics centre plan with data hub proposal

Villach has dropped plans for a logistics centre in Federaun and is proposing a data centre whose waste heat would warm a large greenhouse for vegetable production, ORF reported.

Mayor Günther Albel presented the plans to the city council on Friday. The data centre would be built on six hectares already zoned for industrial use and would store and secure data for Carinthian residents and businesses, he said.

Its waste heat would be used to heat a greenhouse complex on 10 hectares, where thousands of tonnes of vegetables could be grown, and would also feed into Villach’s district heating network. The project is possible in part because of Alpsix, a recently opened internet exchange that connects Carinthia directly to international fibre-optic data lines. The site has a guaranteed electricity connection of 100 megawatts, Albel said.

Germany’s Zech Group, the parent company of DLH, which had planned the logistics centre, is behind the data centre proposal. A family-owned company from Styria has expressed interest in building the greenhouses. Albel said the plans could create hundreds of jobs.

The logistics centre plan ran into zoning problems and numerous objections. Albel said the new proposal would involve less land being sealed and bring benefits for food sovereignty. It would also require five truck journeys a day, rather than more than 100, according to the report. Albel nevertheless called for an environmental impact assessment to address concerns.