Google is proud to have one of the most sustainable data centers in Belgium.

In 2007, we announced that we wanted to invest 250 million euro in the construction of an energy-efficient data center near Saint-Ghislain and Mons in Belgium.

The data center was fully operational in 2010 and was the first Google data center in the world to operate completely without traditional cooling. Instead, we use an advanced cooling system with evaporation of water from the state industrial channel. In this way our computers continue to operate extremely efficiently and the general energy consumption is reduced.

In 2013, we announced additional investments of EUR 300 million to build the second phase of our energy-efficient data center to meet the growing European and international demand for services. This extension was completed in 2015.

In February 2018, there were two exciting new developments: an investment of 250 million euros to further expand the data center and the unveiling of a new solar energy park on the site of the data center in an investment of 3 million euros. In June 2019, we announced a further investment of 600 million euros for the construction of a fourth data center on the campus.

This brings Google's total investment in the data center in Saint-Ghislain to 1.6 billion euros.

We are proud of our place in the local community of Saint-Ghislain.

Saint-Ghislain has the right combination of energy infrastructure and available land. The local government also has a clear vision of how internet activities can bring economic benefits and jobs to the area. The Digital Innovation Valley project has attracted a cluster of high-tech companies and ensured that the education system pays explicit attention to technology. That's why we had a fantastic team of people to support our investments in the area.