Municipal resignations expose permitting risk for Google’s planned Étrechet data-center campus
DataNews Editorial Team
Five elected officials in Étrechet, including Mayor Florence Laurent, have resigned amid a dispute over Google’s planned data-center development near Châteauroux. The project remains at the planning stage, with no final building permit yet granted.
- Google’s proposed Étrechet campus remains a planned project; no final building permit has been issued.
- Five local elected officials, including the mayor, resigned amid concerns over local impacts of the development.
- The proposal covers about 195 hectares and envisages eight to 10 server buildings.
- The initial grid plan includes two 225 kV underground lines and a substation; later expansion would require two 400 kV overhead lines of more than 10 km.
- Public consultation is scheduled for late 2026, with a building-permit application expected in early 2027.
Google is planning a data-center campus in the Ozan industrial zone near Étrechet, close to Châteauroux, but the proposal has triggered a local political rupture before a final construction permit has been secured.
Mayor Florence Laurent announced her resignation on 15 September, following the departure of three deputy mayors and one municipal councillor. According to the source, the resignations followed the absence of requested assurances over heavy-vehicle traffic, the visual effect of the planned buildings and potential effects on property values.
The proposed development would use about 195 hectares and include eight to 10 server buildings. Google plans to complete the first building in 2028–2029. This is a planned first-phase completion date, not confirmation that the wider campus will be operational by then.
Grid infrastructure is central to the proposal. For the first building, the plan calls for two 225 kV underground transmission lines and a substation, with RTE expected to carry out the interconnection work at Google’s expense. After 2031, the development plan provides for the phased addition of seven to nine buildings, alongside two new 400 kV overhead lines extending more than 10 km.
An intermunicipal body gave political approval in June 2025, but this does not constitute a final building permit. Public consultation is scheduled for November–December 2026, and a permit application is expected in early 2027. The design presented by Google includes a closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling system, although no quantitative forecast for water consumption has been disclosed.
If it clears the permitting process, the project could become a significant example of Google-owned infrastructure in France and create demand for large-scale grid interconnection. However, municipal and community opposition, together with unresolved questions around traffic, visual impact, water use and transmission infrastructure, could lead to schedule pressure or additional project requirements.
The dispute shows that large data-center developments depend on social acceptance and permitting as well as grid interconnection and site delivery. Concerns over traffic, visual impact, property values, water use and new transmission routes could affect the project’s approval process and schedule.
- — / September 23, 2026Source →