Internet giant Google has revealed plans to invest around US$773m over the next four years to build a data center in the Netherlands to support its European operations.

The facility is to be built in the port of Eemshaven, in the Dutch province of Groningen - and according to local reports from rtlnieuws it’s going to be a big one.

The data center will be built on an area which has been reported as either 44 or 70 hectares. The construction is expected to start in 2016 and will be operational by 2017. Google already has one facility near Eemshaven and has similar facilities in Belgium, Finland and Ireland.

According to Dutch minister of economic affairs Henk Kamp the area is ideal for technology companies because it has around 8,000 MW of power available - and much of this is from renewable sources. Eemshaven is also the landfall point for a high-speed transatlantic fiber-optic cable connecting the US with Europe.