Norway's Centre Party (Senterpartiet) is demanding a temporary halt to new data centres until the summer, NTB reported, according to Aftenposten. By then the party wants clearer regulation and a concession scheme in place, according to VG.
The party's energy policy spokesperson Maren Grøthe said data centre construction could get out of control. "Half of the power queue in Norway is now data centres, and consumption is rising sharply," she told NTB. "We must secure enough and stable access to reasonably priced energy for both people and business. She warned that international technology giants have far greater financial muscle than most Norwegian companies. "If it is data centres that get to decide the power price in the next ten years, there will be no other business that can pay the same price," she said. The decision came while the party's national board met at Gardermoen on Monday and Tuesday. During the throne speech debate in early October the party voted against two proposals for a full stop from KrF and SV. The Centre Party now joins SV, MDG, Rødt and KrF in wanting a temporary stop. Høyre, Ap and Frp do not want to stop construction while new rules are drawn up.
Parliamentary deputy leader Erling Sande said the stop should begin "the sooner, the better". He wants applications in the queue put on hold. Existing data centres and projects under construction will be allowed to continue.
In its alternative state budget, the Centre Party will propose raising the electricity tax for data centres from 7 øre to over 30 øre per kilowatt-hour, Sande said. The proposal will become part of this autumn's budget negotiations.
Digitalisation Minister Torgeir Micaelsen of the Labour Party (Ap) rejected that the government is not doing enough. He said the government is working on short- and long-term measures to control growth in the industry. "We do not need all data centres in Norway, but we must that any short-term measures do not have unintended consequences for the data centres that are important for our security, preparedness and digital needs," Micaelsen told NTB.
According to figures from Statistics Norway (SSB) and the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), Norway has over 100 data centres and over 100 applications are being processed. Data centres are the industry where electricity use is growing fastest, with consumption more than doubled in a few years to over 3 terawatt-hours.
What to do
- Official preparedness advice: DSB, sikkerhverdag.no.
- Emergency: 112 (police), 110 (fire), 113 (ambulance).