Google invests 250 million euros in Saint-Ghislain
Google, the American technology giant, has opened a new solar plant in Saint-Ghislain, near Mons. The company is also expanding its data centre. This represents a combined investment of 250 million euros.
The data centre was opened in 2010 and was the first to be built by Google in Europe. After expanding for the first time in 2013, Google is now planning a third building. The data centre processes all search, mail and video activities carried out by European internet users and provided by Google services, such as YouTube, Gmail and Android applications.
Google aims for its data centre to be as efficient as possible in terms of energy. That's why it has also opened a new solar plant to provide a grand total of 2.9 Gigawatt hours of energy. With 10,500 solar panels covering a surface of 4 hectares it is the second largest in Wallonia. Google already cools its servers using water from the Canal Nimy-Blaton-Péronnes.