The Israeli government is inviting data center developers to place a facility in a former copper mine.

Globes reports that the Israel Land Authority (ILA) has published a development tender for the abandoned Timna copper mine near Eilat.

The government suggests a data center would be built in the mine, while a solar farm would be developed above ground.

The tender is for 2,080 dunams (520 acres) of land at Timna Park, made up mainly of mining pits and waste created during the copper mining process. The pits were excavated by the Timna Copper Mining Company from 1959 to 1976.

Globes reports the ILA and Hevel Eilot Regional Council aim to transform the long-abandoned area in the south of Israel with the country’s largest data center; the facility would be located close to Google's upcoming Blue-Raman cable.

The cost of the land was not specified in the tender, but it is estimated at an amount between NIS 60 million and 150 million ($15-39 million) – however, the low land price could be offset by site cleanup costs.

Haim Eisenstadt's Green Global Data Center Group has reportedly been in contact with the regional council for several months about the project.

The Lefdal Mine data center located in Måløy, Norway is probably the most well-known data center placed in a former mine. Two smaller-scale projects are underway in Italy, in Sardinia and Trento.