Google's proposed data center in Bissen, Luxembourg, has yet to show any signs of life, prompting an opposition politician to declare it dead.

But the Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot, claimed that the project is still in the works - and just on hold.

The Christian Social People's Party (CSV) MP Laurent Mosar said at a meeting of the economy commission that the data center was clearly "dead" and that the vast tract of land that is being held for the facility should be freed up as soon as possible.

He added that the Ministry of Environment's procedures we too long and discouraged potential investors.

But Fayot said that it was too early to give up on the project, first made public back in 2017. He said that Google has until the middle of 2024 to apply for the necessary building permits.

If it doesn't, the government has the right to first refusal on the land, at the price at which it was sold. However, if both Google and the government agree, the deadline can be pushed back.

Should the data center be built, the €1 billion ($973m) data center would be one of the largest developments of any kind in the small country, and would be the largest single user of electricity.

The project has been hit by multiple delays, as land has taken years to be reclassified for data center use, and the data center has been held up by land zoning issues, environmental reviews, and government approval processes - as well as a lack of communication from Google.

Back in May, Fayot said that “the way is free for Google to tackle the next steps," but added that "I cannot tell you today when these next steps will be taken.”

At the same time, Google has expanded its data center in Belgium, raising questions about its commitment to the Luxembourg development.