Gigawatt Ledger · one-page briefing
Campus profile Operating
Eemshaven
Google · Eemshaven, Groningen, Netherlands
The resource footprint
Modelled averageIn one day, this campus consumes about
2.4150-metre swimming pools
Filled with the volume of water consumed by the campus and its electricity supply.
The actual estimate1,594,917 US gallons consumed
Power-plant water may come from a different watershed. This is a volume comparison, not a claim that households lose this water.
At current operating capacity · Annual model spread evenly over time, not a live meter. Site estimates may differ by roughly ±40%.
Comparison sizes & sources
One pool = 50 × 25 × 2 metres = 2.5 million litres (about 660,430 US gallons). Pool depths vary; this is a defined comparison size.
One home-year = 10,791 kWh, the EIA’s 2022 average US residential electricity purchases. This excludes electricity generated at home and is a fixed US benchmark for all sites.
One car-year = 4.6 tonnes CO₂, the EPA’s typical passenger vehicle tailpipe estimate. The campus model is in CO₂e; the comparison expresses approximate climate scale, not equal mixtures of pollutants.
Monthly values are annual totals ÷ 12; daily values are annual totals ÷ 365. Actual demand varies. Comparisons cover the whole campus, including non-AI uses.
Water: see the numbers and sources
This is water used up, mainly through evaporation. Power-generation water may be used in a different watershed.
- Pressure on local water
- Low-Medium — a regional measure of demand compared with available water
- Where the water comes from
- Surface water — river, lake or canal
- Cooling
- Industrial water from the Eemshaven port supply, plus free cooling
- Basis
- Fitted to a published figure of 406 million gallons a year (2025)
- Operator table
- Withdrew 532 million gallons, discharged 127, consumed 406
- Claimed vs observed
- Google 2026 Environmental Report (FY2025): withdrew 532.2 million gallons (mostly non-potable), discharged 126.5, consumed 405.7.
Air: see the numbers and sources
The totals include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and fine particles. They cover both this site and the power plants supplying it.
- Health range
- $3.43–9.69 million a year. Lower bound is EASIUR national mid-range; upper is EPA benefit-per-ton at a ~$12M VSL.
- Statistical deaths
- 0.81 a year at that VSL — a national-average conversion from tons, not a local concentration study.
- Equals
- 151,767 cars of NOx
- Where it burns
- Netherlands — TenneT
- Generation mix
- Gas 38 · Wind 25 · Solar 17 · Coal 8
- Diesel backup
- Diesel backup is not yet counted for this campus, so on-site air figures are a floor.
- CO₂e
- 325 kt/yr — climate, not air quality
The project, approvals and community concerns
- Who asked for it
- Google — self-build
- Who approved it
- Province of Groningen permits; the Netherlands imposed a national pause on new hyperscale permits in 2022 before reopening under stricter siting rules
- What it serves
- Google Cloud europe-west4
- IT capacity
- 180 MW current capacity / 300 MW full-build scenario
Google consumed 406 million gallons here in 2025, mostly non-potable industrial water. Dutch backlash over a Meta application in Zeewolde led to a national moratorium on hyperscale permits in 2022. Groningen kept building because the wind interconnection was already there.
Keep this guide handy
53.4400°, 6.8300°
Quote or share these estimates
Gigawatt Ledger (2026). Eemshaven: water and air. https://gigawatt-ledger.pages.dev/site/eemshaven/. Modelled from disclosed capacity; site-level error ±40%.
Include the estimate’s date, whether it describes current or proposed capacity, and its uncertainty. Get an embeddable card.
Gigawatt Ledger · September 2026. Water and air figures are estimated from public records and disclosed capacity. How we calculate them · Use this in your community.