Belchite data center: Krolmap plans off-grid site cooled by CO2
Zaragoza firm Krolmap proposes a 225 MW, €1.5bn data center in Belchite with CO2 cooling and gas power, with no grid link, as protests grow in Aragón.
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giftdetect· the right gift in minutesKrolmap, an engineering firm founded in Zaragoza in 2022, has proposed a data center in Belchite (Aragón) that would cool entirely with CO2 and run without a grid connection. It would be the first of its kind in Spain, according to the company's presentation. The plan covers 225 MW across six buildings on 25 hectares of the La Legua industrial estate, with an investment of €1.5 billion.
Power would come from three gas plants, combined with renewables, batteries and cogeneration. The site would also have its own wastewater treatment plant, storm tanks to collect rainwater, 3 MWp of solar and two 750 kW wind turbines. It is Krolmap's second Aragón bet: it already has a project of up to 150 MW in Villanueva de Gállego, where it bought more than 20,000 square meters.
Many details are missing
No tenant, supplier or financial partner has been named, and the renewable capacity has not been disclosed. According to UNITNAVE, the project does not appear in official bulletins or in any INAGA resolution. DCD notes that emissions from cogeneration and the storage needed when renewables fall short still have to be assessed.
CO2 serves as a refrigerant in place of the fluorinated gases due to be banned. It solves the refrigerant question but not the footprint of any electricity that must be burned.
Why off-grid, and why now
The grid is saturated: Red Eléctrica puts data center connection permits in Aragón at 3,700 MW, more than double the region's peak demand. A government decree is also heading to the Council of State with 80% backing and up to five years for the transition, and it raises to 10 MW the threshold for most requirements. The government wants it approved before the November 29 elections. It is unclear how an unconnected site would fit its rules.
The Fundación Renovables asked to ban island-mode centers powered mostly by fossil fuels, noting Ireland already does. Ecologistas en Acción fears a lack of renewables will push centers toward combined-cycle gas or nuclear. Its map counts 28 projected macro-centers totaling 11,237 MW, of which three operate with 140 MW.
Protests are growing. More than 2,000 people marched in Torrero in late September. Tu Nube Seca Mi Río has called a rally in Huesca on Friday the 6th and a "mega demonstration" in Zaragoza on the 7th. Industry group Spain DC warns the decree endangers about €9 billion, while Microsoft keeps its Aragón roadmap and says it will target 100% renewable consumption.
For now, Belchite remains an announcement. The decree vote and this weekend's marches could shape its path.
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