Norge må ikke bli et fristed for datasentre

Norway must not become a playground for data centers, warns a new chronicle. Artificial intelligence is already creating value and digital infrastructure will be crucial for any welfare state in the future. Norway again finds itself on the green side. Renewable energy, cool climate, digital competence, and a stable society are advantages that could make us winners in the global AI race.

However, for Norway to succeed, we must be more responsive to criticism and set stricter standards for ourselves in the data center industry. Reactions now should not surprise anyone. Our power consumption from data centers doubled from 0.8 to 1.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) between 2022 and 2024, and Statnett has submitted applications for connections totaling 60 TWh – ten times NVE's estimate for a realistic consumption in 2040.

Other countries are also experiencing a growth in data center electricity demand. Along the way, fear of job losses in existing industries and higher electricity bills for the general public grows. Protests increase and authorities respond with strong resistance: the common denominator is clear – when the establishment process bypasses regulations and the power grid, it results in public protests, political conflict, and slow, ineffective regulations.

Understandably, but we risk losing multi-billion dollar investments in critical digital infrastructure, high-skilled jobs, and significant economic synergies. Fortunately, a large majority of the previous Storting session rejected proposals for a concession obligation and construction site. But new proposals for a concession system and stricter oversight are already emerging, and the stage is set.

"Regulators, mount up!" - rapped Warren G and Nate Dogg in their 1994 classic. The message is really about something else, but the call fits: do not let the industry constructively shape the framework of tomorrow's rules. A single incident, such as a disputed location, a conflict over power or land, or an ownership dispute, could trigger quick decisions that affect the broader and less resistant public.

That is why we propose four principles that the government and Storting should base their work on when defining criteria for connections and potentially a concession system: 1) Network capacity should be allocated based on transparent, predictable, and testable criteria that prioritize societal benefit, energy efficiency, and national value creation, ensuring that power goes to projects with the greatest value for Norway.

2) Greater emphasis on national anchoring: Norwegian value creation, long-term presence, and national control over critical digital infrastructure. Demand transparency regarding owners, financing, and customers. 3) Requirements for efficient energy use and responsible management of water and natural resources. Large players should relieve the power system through flexible consumption, self-generated energy, and co-financing of necessary energy and grid infrastructure.

4) Demands for binding synergies with other industries: utilizing surplus heat, access to data capacity, sharing digital infrastructure, or contributing to energy and grid costs. The goal is industrial ecosystems where data centers and traditional industries complement each other. None of these principles stand in the way of good data center projects.

On the contrary, they are a prerequisite for data centers to remain a lasting industry in Norway, creating value where projects are established.