Google’s application for a data center project in Teros, Uruguay, has now been approved.
Uruguay’s Environment Ministry approved the plans, according to a report from BN Americas.
The tech giant first acquired 30 hectares in the Parque de las Ciencias free trade zone in Uruguay in May 2021, after first announcing plans in 2020.
In November last year, Google confirmed it would be going ahead with amended plans for the data center development.
The first set of development plans raised concerns about water use, especially after Uruguay experienced severe droughts in July 2023. The project was initially expected to use up to 7.6 million liters of potable water every day.
The company has since made the project smaller and switched to an air cooling system.
The facility will be installed in four stages, said the report.
Google has said the maximum energy consumption to operate the data center will be less than 560 GWh per year. The company already has a contract with electricity company UTE to secure 430 GWh per year.
Google is also working on its Firmina subsea cable that will connect Myrtle Beach in South Carolina to Las Toninas, Argentina; Praia Grande, Brazil; and Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Google already operates the Tannat cable in partnership with Antel Uruguay to connect the same locations, the Curie cable connecting California to Chile, and the Monet cable connecting the US to Brazil. Within Brazil, it also operates the Junior system, which connects Rio de Janeiro to Santos.
In South America, Google currently operates a Cloud Region in São Paulo, Brazil, and another in Santiago, Chile.
