The Government of Aragon halves Microsoft's procedures and leaves expropriated owners waiting for months

The Government of Aragon maintains the fast track granted to the future Microsoft data center campus next to Puerto Venecia. The owners of part of the affected land are facing an expropriation whose valuation is around two euros per square meter, after rejecting private offers that, they claim, were between 25 and 30 euros.

The process began under the PP government of Jorge Azcón and continues now with the far-right Vox within the regional government. The contrast is especially uncomfortable for two parties that have made the so-called 'national priority' one of the banners of their agreements. In this case, the Administration has mobilized its urban planning and expropriation instruments to facilitate a project promoted by one of the largest technological multinationals in the world.

The Garza family received the first call two years ago. The person who contacted them asked for confidentiality and made an offer to buy the land. The owners refused because they considered the price insufficient for plots near Zaragoza's largest shopping center and one of the city's fastest-growing neighborhoods.

Conversations resumed in the spring of 2025. The offer remained at similar figures and, according to Ana Garza, they were warned that they would end up being expropriated if they did not accept. Months later, the administrative procedure began, and in January of this year, they received the summons to draw up the preliminary records for occupation. "They talk to us about a priority project for Aragon, but in the end, the priority has been a foreign company," summarizes one of the owners.

The expert report incorporated into the file by Microsoft values some land at around two euros per square meter. Depending on the plot, land use, and existing constructions, the amounts range between two and five euros. Those affected compare these figures with the 57 euros per square meter that the company paid for a municipal plot in La Muela, also intended for its technological facilities.

Microsoft maintains that the valuation was carried out by an independent technician using the criteria established in the Land Law and its regulations. The Aragonese government also considers that the amounts comply with the regulations and points out that previous private offers are outside the expropriation procedure.

Urgency ends when it comes to price

The Government of Aragon declared the campus an investment of autonomous and general interest. This decision granted Microsoft "preferential and urgent momentum" and halved the ordinary deadlines for urban planning and environmental procedures.

The speed slowed down when it came time to determine how much the owners would receive. Families submitted their appraisal sheets between April and June, and some claim they have not received new communications about the final amount for several months.

The autonomous Executive explains that the valuations have already been transferred to Microsoft, the beneficiary of the expropriation, so that it can present its own appraisal sheet. If both parties remain in disagreement, the file will go to the Provincial Expropriation Jury, responsible for setting the fair price.

The procedure affects about 16.5 hectares. The owners question the expropriation of all that surface when, according to the documentation they handle, the buildings would occupy around 68,000 square meters.

The complete delimitation of the campus reaches almost 59 hectares. The official document recognizes that the finally occupied surface will be smaller and explains that the enclosure will also need roads, green areas, parking lots, auxiliary facilities, water management systems, and a possible electrical substation. Those affected demand a detailed explanation that justifies which part of their land is essential for each of these uses.

The first phase will involve an approximate investment of 582 million euros. The complete development could reach 2,900 million over the next decade. Construction would require between 1,000 and 2,000 workers, with an estimated annual average of between 300 and 400 jobs, while ordinary activity would leave up to 300 permanent positions when the entire campus becomes operational.

Allegations regarding consumption and environmental processing

The price of the expropriations is part of a broader conflict. The Plataforma Salvemos los Pinares de Venecia has announced new allegations against the project's environmental document and criticizes that the public information period was opened in August, with 23 days to examine a file of more than a thousand pages.

Neighbors and environmental organizations have been demanding more precise data for months on electricity and water consumption, the impact on the Pinares de Venecia, waste management, and the consequences for the Barranco de la Muerte. The official declaration itself admits that the campus will need high electrical power and leaves the confirmation of water availability pending before its implementation.

The groups have also reported earth movements in an old landfill with asbestos remains. These actions have reached the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Zaragoza for a possible environmental crime, while several owners have filed appeals before the High Court of Justice of Aragon against the processing of the project.

Microsoft assures that the works authorized so far are limited to the cleaning of the plots and reminds that the General Interest Plan of Aragon still needs final approval. The families continue to await the fair price of lands that the Administration has already reserved for the technology campus.