Google eyes Châteauroux data center campus, discusses waste heat with ENGIE
In brief
- Google picked Étrechet, outside Châteauroux, for its first wholly owned French hyperscale campus, per Crypto Briefing.
- Reported plan calls for 6 to 8 buildings, about €8.6 billion, with the first around 2030.
- ENGIE and Google are discussing waste heat recovery, but no delivery contract has been signed.
- Petition against the project drew roughly 16,000 signatures, according to Crypto Briefing.
What's on the table
Google, working through its subsidiaries, is pushing ahead with a campus of approximately 195 to 200 hectares, according to Crypto Briefing. The plan calls for 6 to 8 buildings rolled out over 10 to 20 years.
That's a long runway.
The first building is now expected around 2030 (earlier estimates had pointed to 2028-2029). Crypto Briefing reported that power demand would start at 120 MW on a 225 kV grid connection, and that estimates for the site's needs at full build-out run from roughly 500 MW to more than 1 GW. The outlet put the estimated investment at approximately €8.6 billion for the campus and associated grid works, with more than 1,200 direct operational jobs expected.
The heat question
Data centers produce enormous amounts of waste heat, and most facilities simply vent it into the air, the report noted. Google and ENGIE are in discussions about recovering that heat and potentially routing it into local heating networks.
It isn't a deal yet. Crypto Briefing described the heat supply as a possibility being explored, not a signed delivery contract, and it said the details (how much warmth, and who'd receive it) haven't been set.
A divided community
Leadership at Châteauroux Métropole, the local intercommunal authority, has backed the campus, pointing to job creation and economic gains, according to the report. Residents, environmental advocates and some local officials don't share that view. They've raised concerns about land use, strain on infrastructure and the project's environmental footprint.
The opposition is organized. A petition against the project has gathered approximately 16,000 signatures, and a public meeting drew around 700 people, Crypto Briefing reported. A formal public consultation was scheduled to run from November 2, 2026, to January 10, 2027, which makes it the next formal checkpoint for a project whose first building is still years away.
Frequently asked questions
Will the Google data center heat Châteauroux?
Not as things stand. Crypto Briefing reported that Google and ENGIE are discussing recovering the campus's waste heat and possibly routing it into local heating networks. The outlet said this is a possibility being explored, not a signed delivery contract, and that volume and recipients haven't been set.
How much power would the Étrechet data center campus use?
According to Crypto Briefing, the campus would start with 120 MW of demand on a 225 kV grid connection. At full build-out, estimates for the site's power needs run from roughly 500 MW to more than 1 GW.
Why are some Châteauroux residents opposing the project?
Residents, environmental advocates and some local officials have raised concerns about land use, strain on infrastructure and environmental footprint, Crypto Briefing reported. A petition against the project gathered approximately 16,000 signatures, and a public meeting drew around 700 people.
