Wallner says electricity supply is key to Hohenems data centre

Vorarlberg Governor Markus Wallner says the ability to supply enough electricity will be the deciding factor for a planned data centre in Hohenems, ORF reports. He said he could imagine the state taking part in the project through illwerke vkw, a company already preparing for such demands.

The Rhomberg Group announced the plans last week, with a projected cost of at least two billion euros. Wallner said the financial cost was not the main issue. He believes illwerke vkw could provide the power required, as the company plans a substantial increase in capacity across the state. Plans include a power line through the Rhine Valley, while the network is also being expanded, renewed and modernised.

The project is still at an early planning stage. It would occupy a 25,500-square-metre footprint, with up to 60,000 square metres of space across several floors. The land belongs to the city of Hohenems and the Rhomberg group.

The proposed data centre would be built underground in an existing quarry at the Ressourcen Center Rheintal in Hohenems-Unterklien. Project representatives say this would allow the quarry to remain in use without additional soil being sealed. They say a comparable building elsewhere would require about 2.5 hectares of sealed land. The city and Rhomberg are advancing the project together.