Microsoft has opened the site to the media, where around 60 people are currently working. Heavy machinery is clearing the land and sorting the materials by size. These include hazardous waste such as asbestos, which requires special handling.
The multinational company has hired a specialized firm registered with the Registry of Companies at Risk from Asbestos (RERA). The firm deposits this debris in a separate, fenced-off area, where its employees sort it. They place it on pallets, which trucks load and transport to a specialized landfill.
DESTINATION OF THE SOIL
This step comes before the earthworks required for construction can begin. The phase is pending final approval of the PIGA. Microsoft has proposed transporting nearly two million units of surplus soil to the Las Canteras landfill and then sealing it. The site is located in the Torrero hills and has been closed since 2010. According to the company, this measure would restore the degraded land.
At a meeting with journalists, the company said that if Inaga does not give its approval, it has a Plan B, such as the Alfajarín landfill, for the tonnes of soil it will remove both here and at its other two projects in La Muela and Villamayor de Gállego.
Microsoft has also proposed creating a linear park with green areas in the Barranco de la Muerte. It would cover around 14 hectares and be located between the data centers and Puerto Venecia, adjoining the area where IKEA is located. The company plans to carry out the project in the coming years, in parallel with the development of the campus’s first phase, which will begin once the PIGA receives final approval, expected in the first quarter of 2027.
