Magna PFV has finally received the green light for its data center facility in Goyang City, South Korea.
As reported by BJY News, the Deok-i-dong data center has been approved, almost canceled, rejected, and overturned in the last 18 months.
The GS E&C affiliate first received a building permit for a five-story, 16,945 sqm (182,394 sq ft) data center in March last year.
Construction was scheduled to begin in the first half of this year, but was halted when residents began voicing concerns and claiming they had not been properly informed about the data center plans.
A legal review of the permit, with intent to cancel it, was issued through the city's Emergency Response Committee. Almost 6,000 residents opposed the data center construction.
Shortly after, Magna PFV submitted a second application for a building permit, alongside supplementary documents for local residents. However, Goyang City rejected the application once again, citing insufficient content in the supplementary documents.
Magna PFV then filed an administrative appeal against the City with Gyeonggi Province.
After 42 days, Goyang City lost the case and their decision was overturned.
During that time, Magna PFV looked to find an alternative site for the data center, but was not successful. The data center build will now go ahead on the original site.
There is little information available online about Magna PFV. It is a construction affiliate of GS Group, a South Korean conglomerate.
A recent report from Maeil Business Korea said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in Korea will start using REITs to share operating profits with local residents when creating 'unpopular' facilities such as data centers. Residents have recently voiced opposition to such projects due to falling house prices.
The majority of data centers in South Korea are concentrated in Seoul, with Digital Realty, Empyrion, Equinix, CapitaLand, STT, and Telehouse all having a presence in the city.
Also in Goyang City, which is part of the wider Seoul area, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC was reported to have raised funds last year for a data center, set to be operational in 2026.
