Langenhorn council advances Uniq Land's 150MW data center plan

Data Center Dynamics reported that the municipal council of Langenhorn in Schleswig-Holstein voted on August 26 to continue pursuing a data center with up to 150MW of connected load. The outlet described the vote as provisional approval for a development proposed by Uniq Land and Erschließungsgesellschaft Nordfriesland (EG.NF).

The decision opens a planning process, not a final approval. Uniq Land managing director Jens Kampkötter said studies still need to be prepared, the public will have further opportunities to give input, and the municipality will ultimately decide the conditions. "With the council's decision, we now have a clear planning process in place for Langenhorn," he told DCD. Uniq Land has applied to build in the district of Mönkebüll within the municipality, and local authorities have reserved the right to consider alternative sites in the area. Construction is set to begin in March 2028 at the earliest.

The vote followed consultation with residents who initially expressed hostility to the project. At the town hall meeting, residents criticized the proposed 27.5-meter (90ft) height of the two buildings and the transparency of the planning process, DCD reported. Municipal authorities will now assess the facility's impact on the surrounding landscape, its distance from residents, water use and potential noise. Kampkötter said the developer has taken on board concerns about distances to neighboring properties, building heights and noise.

Power from regional wind farms and any expansion of the site's connection capacity to 300MW are both contingent on upgrades to the regional electricity grid, according to DataCenterInsider. The servers would be cooled using a waterless closed-loop system, and a waste heat reuse system is planned.

The August 26 vote leaves two main constraints: grid capacity and local consent.