Norwegian data center proponent walks out of Iloilo town hall after residents say no

ILOILO CITY, Philippines - The Norwegian executive behind a proposed 50-megawatt AI data center in Oton, Iloilo, walked out of a public consultation on Friday, August 14, after residents made it clear they did not want the project in their barangay.

Daniel Robertsen, the proponent of the hyperscale facility planned for a 10-hectare property in Barangay Abilay Sur, left the meeting at the chapel after a tense exchange with local officials and residents over water use and community consent.

What happened at the Oton public consultation

According to Renan Herrera, president of the Ugyon Youth Organization who attended the meeting, the friction began when Oton councilor Annie Rose Paro pressed Robertsen on his claim that the data center would not waste water.

Robertsen explained that the facility would use a fixed volume of water that would circulate continuously within the cooling system. Paro countered that evaporation would still cause losses, meaning the facility would eventually need to draw more water from local sources.

Robertsen then said the company would not force the issue.