Vantage Denied Permission for Data Center Outside Frankfurt

Why It Matters

The decision curtails a major investment that could have boosted regional tax revenues and reinforced Frankfurt’s position as a European data‑center hub. It also signals heightened scrutiny of data‑center siting, potentially affecting future expansion plans across the continent.

Key Takeaways

• Council rejected Vantage's €2.5bn data center plan.
• 174 MW campus would have spanned 14 hectares.
• Project faced opposition over jobs, aesthetics, security concerns.
• Vantage already runs two 56 MW Frankfurt-area sites.
• Decision may limit regional data‑center capacity growth.

Pulse Analysis

Frankfurt remains Europe’s premier data‑center corridor, attracting billions in capital to meet surging cloud demand. Vantage’s FRA5 proposal promised to extend that ecosystem with a 174 MW campus, leveraging waste‑heat recovery to improve energy efficiency. The project’s scale—five four‑story buildings on 14 hectares—would have positioned Vantage as a key player alongside its existing FRA1 and FRA2 sites, potentially drawing additional hyperscale tenants and reinforcing the region’s competitive edge.

Local opposition in Groß‑Gerau centered on tangible community concerns. Council members highlighted the lack of direct employment opportunities, the visual intrusion of a large industrial complex, and heightened security fears in a post‑pandemic, geopolitically tense environment. Environmental groups and the Greens amplified worries about noise, landscape disruption, and the perception of a “monstrosity” disconnected from the town’s heritage. The narrow 18‑14 vote reflects a broader European trend where municipalities demand stronger social and environmental safeguards before approving megaprojects.

The council’s denial sends a cautionary signal to data‑center developers eyeing Europe’s growth markets. Investors must now factor in intensified local stakeholder engagement, rigorous impact assessments, and potential political push‑back into project economics. Companies may pivot toward retrofitting existing facilities, modular designs, or sites with clearer community benefits to mitigate risk. As regulators and municipalities tighten oversight, the industry’s expansion will likely hinge on aligning high‑density compute needs with sustainable, socially responsible development strategies.

Vantage denied permission for data center outside Frankfurt

Groß‑Gerau council says disadvantages outweigh benefits of planned 174 MW campus · February 09, 2026 · Dan Swinhoe

US data center firm Vantage has been denied the chance to develop a new campus outside Frankfurt, Germany.

The Groß‑Gerau city council this month voted against entering into contract negotiations with the company Vantage Data Centers regarding the establishment of a data center.

– Vantage Data Centers

Groß‑Gerau is a town some 30 km (19 miles) south of Frankfurt, one of the major data‑center hubs in Europe.

Vantage had hoped to develop a 174 MW campus on 14 hectares in the Lausböhl industrial park on land previously used by the automotive‑logistics company ARS Altmann. The campus would have comprised up to five four‑story buildings.

In the works for more than a year, Vantage aimed to invest roughly €2.5 billion ($2.97 bn) in the project, reportedly known as FRA5, which would have made its waste heat available for reuse. The company bought the site back in 2022, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

The 18‑14 decision saw the CDU and the combined Free Voters’ Association (FWG) vote in favour, while the SPD, Greens, FDP, Free Voters, and Left Party voted against.

Vantage Data Centers told local press it intends to first process the decision and then determine the next steps internally. DCD has reached out for comment.

“We’re missing out on millions in tax revenue, we’re missing out on a good investor,”

— Thomas Hlubek, local CDU parliamentary group leader (told Tagesschau).

“The business model is one in which others would generate very high added value, but the tax revenue would not remain in Groß‑Gerau. We will not sell our city of Groß‑Gerau to a multi‑billion‑dollar investor.”

— Susanne Theisen‑Canibol, SPD parliamentary group leader.

Local press reports that the lack of jobs and the impact of the large buildings on the local area were seen as negatives, with some fearing the facilities could be a potential target for terrorism.

The local Green party had already made its opposition to the project public, saying the “disadvantages of a data centre at this location clearly outweigh the advantages.” In a separate announcement after the council vote, the Groß‑Gerau Greens called the project a “noisy, ugly monstrosity that would have overshadowed everything else – a structure with no connection to the town and its history.”

Founded in 1975, ARS Altmann AG is a pan‑European automotive‑logistics service provider, transporting vehicles across Europe. The Groß‑Gerau site had been used as a vehicle depot.

Vantage currently operates two data‑center campuses around the Frankfurt area: the 56 MW FRA1 in Offenbach and the 56 MW FRA2 in Raunheim. It also has two sites in Berlin.