This is what the ACS and Benbros Energy data center in Zaragoza will look like: 1.25 billion investment, 254 jobs, and up and running by 2029.

More details are now emerging about the data center that ACS and Benbros Energy announced at the end of June in La Puebla de Alfindén , Zaragoza. The data center will require an investment of €1.25 billion .

This data center is promoted by ACS DC Infra La Puebla SL . The project developer was established in October 2022 with registered office in Madrid to carry out data center-related activities. The company's share capital is 75% owned by Iridum Concesiones de Infraestructuras SA, a company belonging to the ACS Group, while the remaining 25% is owned by Benbros Energy SL .

According to the documents submitted for the Declaration of Investment of Regional Interest, the project will focus on the promotion, construction, commissioning, and management of a new 150 MW data processing center campus to meet the demand of the private data hall and colocation room market .

According to the documentation, each data center is designed to provide tenants with between 20,000 and 30,000 kW of IT load . Furthermore, the data center will guarantee a completely independent supply of all power consumed from the grid for a minimum period of 30 minutes .

The data center will occupy a total of 255,504.60 square meters . To make this area available, a large plot is planned, combining plots ZIE-1, ZIE-2, ZIE-3 (extensive industrial use), ZII-3 (intensive industrial use), and T1 (tertiary use) with a total area of 174,429.6 square meters. The interior roads will have a surface area of 18,041.1 square meters, and the surrounding roads will have a surface area of 63,033.90 square meters.

The data center will have several buildings and support infrastructure for its proper operation. Facilities will include water supply through the implementation of cooling systems, sanitation, electrical supply, and fiber optics.

There will also be a parking area and green spaces . Regarding the hall's equipment, the report indicates that there will be IT equipment in the hall and air conditioning units; a lighting and air conditioning system; and exterior and interior pathways. The buildings will be used for data rooms, and there will also be administrative buildings to house the offices.

Added to all this is a step-down substation for the arrival of the power line that connects to the 400 kV Peñaflor SET, owned by Red Eléctrica de España, and to power the data center building.

The ACS and Benbros Energy data center will be built in two phases. The first phase involves the development of 150 MW , which already has the permit and connection granted by Red Eléctrica de España to the 400 kW Peñaflor SET (System of Energy) on September 5, 2024. In this case, the investment is €1.25 billion.

The second phase would involve increasing activity by an additional 150 MW , which has been requested from Red Eléctrica de España and is pending approval. For this phase, a similar investment is planned as for the first phase.

The project includes the development and construction of the data center, as well as the necessary interior and exterior urban infrastructure for the facility's full operation, such as water and energy infrastructure and connections to the fiber optic network and other infrastructure service networks.

According to the documentation provided, the data center will begin operations before September 2029. The company plans to begin land development work in early 2026, with construction of the data center to begin in the second quarter of next year.

The investment and implementation of the data center will have an impact on employment. It is estimated that 710 direct jobs will be needed during the construction phase and 254 during the operational phase .

The project is expected to generate approximately 2,774 jobs , contributing to the development of La Puebla de Alfindén and the surrounding municipalities. Of these jobs, an estimated 964 will be direct, 1,086 indirect, and 724 induced, depending on the phases.

This represents 710 direct jobs in the construction phase and 800 indirect jobs in areas such as electricians, pipe fitters, welders, concrete fitters, and plumbers, among others.

During the operational phase, 254 highly qualified, permanent jobs focused on technology (computer engineering or electrical engineering, among others) and 286 indirect jobs will be created.