Norway plans licensing for data centres as grid requests outstrip supply

The Norwegian government will introduce a licensing regime for data centres, covering both existing and new sites, to slow a build-out that now asks for more power than the country can supply, it announced. Grid operator Statnett has paused new grid capacity reservations for data centres until 1 August 2027 at the latest. Existing connections are not affected.

According to Statnett, 800 MW of data centres are already connected, 4,200 MW have reserved capacity and 9,100 MW sit in the queue, with requests for another 18,000 MW. Norway's peak electricity demand is just over 25,000 MW. Energy Minister Terje Aasland said data centres made up 75% of this year's connection requests, Cyprus Mail reports.

The government says data centres are needed for the safe development and use of AI. Licence conditions will weigh digital security and the availability of AI computing capacity in Norway, the Nordic region and Europe. Crypto mining will not count as beneficial to society. Digitalisation minister Torgeir Micaelsen said global cloud companies will face limits on land and power, while sites serving defence, police, health and other critical services get priority, Brussels Signal reports.

Large new users may have to pay more of the grid costs and help build their own power, such as offshore wind or gas plants with carbon capture. The government will also look at state ownership in key projects and plans to present the main principles of the licensing regime in autumn 2027.