datacenter in lelystad krijgt groen licht maar verbruikt meer stroom dan verwacht
Lelystad, dinsdag, 10 februari 2026.
een nieuw datacenter van equinix bij lelystad gaat veel meer stroom gebruiken dan oorspronkelijk gedacht. experts schatten het verbruik op tussen de 200.000 en 500.000 huishoudens. dat is meer dan de hele stad lelystad momenteel gebruikt. de gemeenteraad werd vijf jaar geleden verkeerd geïnformeerd. men dacht dat het verbruik gelijk zou staan aan 3.000 tot 5.000 huishoudens. het project omzeilt een landelijk verbod op grote datacenters. hoewel het energieverbruik boven de grens ligt, blijft de oppervlakte onder de limiet. het datacenter komt op flevokust haven. het staat vlakbij een hoogspanningsstation en een gascentrale. daarom hoeft het net niet overbelast te raken. sommige politici zijn geschokt. anderen vinden dat de kennis in 2021 nog beperkt was. het project gaat door ondanks de controverse.
discrepancy in energy estimates revealed
The planned Equinix datacenter on the Flevokust Haven industrial estate near Lelystad is expected to draw up to 86 megawatts (MW) of power annually, translating to approximately 753 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year [1]. This figure nearly doubles the current annual electricity consumption of Lelystad, which stood at 376.5 GWh in 2025 [2]. When the municipal council approved the zoning plan in 2021, officials were informed the facility would use energy equivalent to just 3,000 to 5,000 households [3]. Current expert assessments place its demand between 200,000 and 500,000 households [1][4].
council misled despite early warnings
Multiple council members admitted they lacked awareness of the project’s true energy footprint during the 2021 vote [2]. CDA council member Jelle Hijmissen stated he was shocked upon learning the real figures, adding he “almost fell off his chair” [3]. Former alderman Jack Schoone of Leefbaar Lelystad acknowledged he did not realize the scale either, saying the energy usage was difficult to assess at the time [4]. A municipality spokesperson confirmed that decision-making relied on spatial planning frameworks applicable in 2021, noting knowledge gaps around large-scale data centers back then [1][5].
legal loophole bypasses national restrictions
Since 2022, the Netherlands has enforced a ban on hyperscale datacenters exceeding both 70 MW in capacity and 10 hectares in area [1][4]. Although the Lelystad facility surpasses the 70 MW threshold—peaking at 150 MW—the total surface area across its three buildings remains capped at 7.5 hectares [1][4]. This allows it to circumvent the national prohibition. Critics argue the setup exploits a regulatory gap. Max Schulze of environmental think tank Leitmotiv said the impact was clearly misrepresented, calling the situation a strategic evasion of policy goals [1][5].
infrastructure concerns and dependencies
The datacenter’s location adjacent to a TenneT high-voltage substation and a natural gas power plant ensures direct access to sufficient grid capacity without overloading local networks [1][4]. However, this proximity raises long-term sustainability issues. Energy analysts warn that continued reliance on fossil fuel infrastructure may delay the decommissioning of the gas plant originally scheduled within 15 to 25 years [4]. Enzo Diependaal, energy specialist at Rethink Zero, emphasized the mismatch between green ambitions and energy-intensive digital infrastructure expansion [1].