MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
February 26 – March 5, 2009 Edition

Old Paper Mill site
To House Google
Data Center

HELSINKI/Authorlink News/02/26/09–In an unusual twist that symbolizes the times, Google says it will build a data centre on the site of an old paper mill in southeastern Finland. It bought the old mill from Stora Enso for about 40 million Euros ($51.7 million) according to a report last week form Reuters.

Google spokesman Kay Oberbeck apparently told Reuters that Google is “currently considering to build a data centre at this site.”

Google’s data centers, which consume huge amounts of energy, number in the dozens across the world. The old Stora Enso paper mill was shut down in early 2008. Renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto designed the original mill. The old mill, in operation for 53 years, consumed 1,000 gigawatt hours of electricity annually.

The sale, which has not yet been officially announced by Google, is expected to close sometime during the first quarter of this year.

StoraEnso says the transaction will add about €38 million to its operating profits and help reverse a €15 million loss. The company does not intend to replace the mill.