In today’s energy‑constrained world, data centres are far from innovations—they are colossal consumers of electricity. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), “there is no AI without energy – specifically electricity,” highlighting the sector’s growing footprint.
Finland, with its cold climate, renewable energy ambition, and economic aspirations, has attracted over 20 data centre projects worth around €13 billion, totalling roughly 1.3 GW of new capacity . Yet, without binding commitments to build new energy sources and strengthen grid infrastructure, this boom risks overloading the system—and subsidising multinational operators at the expense of Finnish taxpayers and climate goals.
Finland lacks infinite energy; as a small northern nation, it remains heavily import‑dependent and must maximise domestic, clean generation from nuclear, wind, hydro, biomass, and increasingly offshore projects . Large infrastructure like wind farms, new transmission links, and district‑heating pipelines take years and significant investment. Letting data centres connect without parallel commitments means the country effectively shoulders the cost—through either taxpayers or diverted energy from households and industry.
Moreover, many data centre workloads—such as AI algorithms or blockchain—deliver few local jobs while consuming megawatts to serve international users. Indeed, Finland’s generous electricity tax exemptions, once as low as €0.08/kWh, allowed these centres to thrive with minimal contribution to private and public energy needs. These are huge financial subsidies!
The solution is simple: mandate long‑term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and financial commitments for grid upgrades as prerequisites for construction permits. PPAs, standard tools for financing new renewables and transmission, ensure that increased demand is matched by fresh, clean capacity—rather than pulling from existing sources or burdening local grids. Grid commitments reduce congestion risk, stabilise prices, and protect Finland’s climate targets by embedding energy resilience into data centre planning.
🇫🇮 New & Planned Data Centres in Finland
- TikTok / Hyperco – Kouvola: €1 billion hyperscale site under “Project Clover,” planned 2026 build. Capacity projected 30–100 MW
- XTX Markets – Kajaani: First 22.5 MW phase underway, targeting ~250 MW total by 2026 in a €1 billion complex
- Microsoft – Helsinki region: Developing a dozen new sites (~hundreds of MW), waste‑heat integration with Fortum to supply ~40% of local district heating
- Google – Hamina: €1 billion expansion; already 97% carbon‑free energy via wind and hydro PPAs; heat used for district heating
- Nebius – Mäntsälä: Expanding to 75 MW capacity; includes free cooling, heat recovery (20 GWh/year)
- atNorth – Kouvola: FIN04 hyperscale colocation; 60 MW initial phase, scalable to several hundred MW; heat reuse for local community
- Telia – Helsinki: Adding 4 MW in response to AI demand; integrates heat into district‑heatinG
- Equinix – multiple sites: Five data centres covered under a 42 MW wind PPA (with Neoen/Prokon), part of global 297 MW renewable procurement
These eight major projects alone exceed 500 MW in planned or under‑construction capacity, aligning with the broader 1.3 GW pipeline across Finland
Photo: Microsoft – There datacenter in Espoo is designed to operate with 100 percent emission-free energy and will supply heat for the cities of Espoo and Kauniainen, and the municipality of Kirkkonummi, in a unique collaboration with Fortum.
