You have until January to weigh in on Google's data center in the Indre

At the Ozans business park in Étrechet, on the edge of Châteauroux, there is still only former farmland, next to the former military site of La Martinerie. Google wants to build there the first data center it would operate itself in France. On November 2, the company and RTE, the operator of the high-voltage power grid, opened a preliminary public consultation overseen by the Commission nationale du débat public (CNDP, France's national public debate commission). It runs until January 10, 2027. On November 5, the site Next detailed the file published for the occasion.

Google writes that the site will support its services in France and Europe: Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, but also artificial intelligence, including Gemini. The investment is estimated at $10 billion, according to Next.

Up to eight buildings and more than a gigawatt

The land, about 195 hectares (roughly 480 acres), was sold by the Châteauroux urban community. In its most developed version, the project includes eight main buildings. Google speaks of six to eight buildings, depending on how the market and usage evolve. The first, on a single level, would measure about 300 meters by 100. Google hopes to start construction in 2028, for commissioning in 2030.

For electricity, the first phase calls for a 225,000-volt connection for 120 megawatts, via a new RTE substation. The site L'EnerGeek notes that this is planned capacity, not measured consumption. If the site expands, a second phase would require 400,000-volt lines. Eventually, capacity would exceed one gigawatt, according to the file as reported by Next. L'EnerGeek speaks of six to eight buildings deployed over ten to twenty years.

Why the project divides opinion locally

The land is one of the 55 “turnkey” sites that the government identified in 2024 under France 2030, to quickly host large industrial projects. Locally, the reception is colder. The group “Ozans dire non” (“Say no to Ozans”) opposes the project. In mid-September, Étrechet's mayor, Florence Laurent, and several town councilors resigned. According to Next, the resigning officials considered the project “out of scale”: they pointed to risks for water and the power grid, to nuisances, and to the municipality's lack of decision-making power.

The file tries to reassure on water consumption and nuisances for local residents. Next, for its part, questions the economic benefits: only 75 direct jobs are announced for the first phase.

How to have your say

Before the first bulldozer even arrives, the question of the power connection is being raised now. It is far from trivial: in England, an AI data center planned for Microsoft risks being left without power. The consultation covers the land, the electricity needs, the connection works, the effects on the area, the economic and environmental impacts, and even the possibility of not building at all. It does not authorize the works.

• The file and the contribution form are online at concertation-centrededonnees-ozans.fr, until January 10, 2027.
• Guided bus tours of the site are planned for November 25 and 28, by registration.
• Public meetings are held in neighboring towns. A meeting in Étrechet is planned once the new municipal council is in place.
• Three guarantors appointed by the CNDP oversee the process: Marie-Claire Eustache, Romane Harmel-Samarcq and Jean-Louis Laure.

The consultation will not settle everything. Other authorizations will still be needed before ground is broken. But by January, it should force Google to say more precisely what the Indre will gain from hosting its servers, and what they will cost it in water and electricity.

Update of November 12, 2026

The consultation on Google's data center project in Étrechet, near Châteauroux, held its first public meeting on Monday, November 9, in Châteauroux. About 700 people attended, according to France 3 Centre-Val de Loire. Google announced closed-loop cooling there. The company estimates water consumption at about 1,000 cubic meters per building per year, which it says is equivalent to that of six or seven households of four people. Asked about PFAS, the “forever chemicals,” its head of data center operations for Western Europe, Olivier Delcourt, answered: “We do not produce PFAS.” He did acknowledge, however, that a refrigerant leak could partly turn into PFAS, while stating that no leak is expected and that detection will be permanent.

Opponents are not convinced. Jean Delavergne, of the “Ozans dire non” group, deplores “strictly no figures” on noise. Marie-Pierre Chabenat, a former deputy mayor of Étrechet, says that “the decision has already been announced without the studies.” About fifteen events are planned through January 10, 2027, including four public meetings, four thematic workshops and two site visits. The guarantors appointed by the Commission nationale du débat public (CNDP) will publish their report within a month after the close. Google and RTE will then have two months to say whether they are going ahead with or modifying the project.