Germany pushes data-center expansion as locals in Dietzenbach fear energy and water strain

Germany’s centre-right and SPD coalition set a goal to double national data-center capacity by 2030, leading firms such as Google, EdgeConnex and Maincubes to secure locations in the Frankfurt-adjacent town of Dietzenbach. Mayor Dieter Lang expects roughly 100 high-value jobs and a substantial tax contribution, but residents like Wilhelm Sauer fear rising electricity costs, water consumption and higher local temperatures.

Researchers including Tara Merk argue that US-run centres may see profits taxed elsewhere and that opaque reporting undermines community acceptance. A draft amendment to the Energy Efficiency Act would postpone renewable-energy targets and ease heat-waste reuse requirements, prompting criticism from the Green Party, Left Party and NGOs such as BUND. Civil-society project Heisse Luft is crowdsourcing a map of planned centres to compensate for the government’s limited registry, while Algorithm Watch has collected 150,000 signatures to retain public reporting obligations.