Dutch developer Van Caem is planning a 100MW data center 9km from the center of Berlin, Germany, scheduled to open in 2026.

The €1 billion ($1bn) project, on a brownfield site near Rhinstraße 139 in Berlin-Lichtenberg, will be the largest data center in Berlin, and the fifth largest in Germany. It will be built by the Prea Group from Schönefeld, reports Thomas Daily, which says the project's official launch will be next Wednesday.

Economics Senator Franziska Giffey is due to officially launch the project next Wednesday, according to the publication.

The data center project appears to have replaced an earlier design to build office buildings that would blend with the nearby Herzberge Park. The original plans are still visible on the Van Caem site, and also on that of Marc Kocher Architects, who designed it.

However, it seems that the change of plans took place some while ago, as it features on a list of local government-approved projects from August 2022. This says the project will be "a data center with four data centers, four energy centers, a substation, and a gatehouse".

The site is currently used by motorbike training company KraftRaT, according to Google Maps.

Van Caem is active in the Lichtenberg district of Berlin. The company is also planning a residential complex at Landsberger Allee 341/343 and "Van Caem Park" at Frankfurter Allee 196, which has been in development for years.

Data center construction in Germany currently faces issues, as a proposed Energy Efficiency Act, which calls for facilities to adopt renewable energy, and sign up for heat reuse projects. These have been criticized by the German Datacenter Association (DCA), which says demands from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMKW) for heat reuse are still not practical, and a requirement to use renewable energy does not take into account the nature of colocation contracts.

DCD has asked Van Caem for more information.