Six municipal officials resigned in Étrechet over Google’s planned 200-hectare server campus near Châteauroux as four French deputies introduced a resolution calling for a five-year moratorium on non-sovereign data centers.
Four deputies from the Ecologist and Social, Socialist, and Modem groups presented a resolution calling for a five-year moratorium on non-sovereign data center projects backed by extra-European actors, as reported by Lanouvellerepublique. The parliamentary text cites the unprecedented turmoil in Étrechet, where six municipal leaders abandoned their posts to protest a lack of transparency and a decision-making process that bypasses local communities, concerning Google’s proposed server campus in the ZAC d’Ozans industrial zone.
Municipal Leaders Resign as Conflict Reaches National Assembly
Four local officials published an open letter announcing their resignations in mid-September. Mayor Florence Laurent followed suit the next day, bringing the total number of departed municipal leaders to six. Municipal elections are scheduled for early November ahead of an upcoming national debate commission.
It's a bitter experience,
Marc Lyster, a grain farmer near the Ozans zone, told franceinfo, lamenting that the details aren't clearly announced, everything is blurry. My parents' house is what, 200 meters away. We don't even know if the hedges there are going to stay, we (the farmers) work around them, they're going to pave over everything.
I haven’t had much information on the impact on my town, but it’s a blur, and we have the impression that the decision is already made and we no longer really have a choice but to get used to it,
an Étrechet resident told franceinfo near the local school, amid uncertainty over the transformation of nearly 200 hectares of agricultural land into a digital infrastructure hub.
Energy Demands and Regional Divisions Across Centre-Val de Loire
The mega data center would consume between 500 megawatts and 1.1 gigawatts of electricity—exceeding the output of a standard nuclear reactor—and requires a new 400,000-volt high-tension power line developed by RTE, franceinfo reported.
Gil Avérous, the mayor of Châteauroux and president of Châteauroux Métropole, championed the development as a historic opportunity, estimating it could bring 1,200 construction jobs across two sites and roughly 150 jobs per data center, though permanent staffing figures remain unconfirmed. Marc Fleuret, president of the Indre departmental council, criticized opponents as anti-everything and called the installation inevitable.
Regional Council President François Bonneau publicly opposed the project on September 21, citing excessive land consumption, energy strains, and data sovereignty concerns, Alouette noted.
Commission Holds Hearings Before Construction Begins in 2027
The National Commission for Public Debate is scheduled to hold proceedings regarding the project and its electrical connections in November, though these hearings carry no decision-making power. Construction work is provisionally envisaged beginning in 2027, with the first server building slated for completion between 2028 and 2029, according to Korben. Opponents plan a large-scale demonstration on the Ozans site on October 17.