Despite Plenty Of Renewable Energy, Data Centers Split Norwegian Society
Norway may be a petrostate — the country produced more oil and gas than Kuwait or Algeria in 2024 — but it exports almost all of it. Locally, 99% of all electricity is produced by wind and hydro power. This, combined with a relative abundance of space and water, makes the country a sought-after destination for operators of data centers.
Close to 90 data centers are currently operating in Norway (not all of them dedicated to generative AI). Together, they used up 2.79 terawatt-hours of energy in 2025, slightly more than one in fifty watt-hours consumed in the country.
An additional 53 data centers are registered with the electricity network operator Statnett, which has reserved 3.4 gigawatts for them. This represents over 8% of the country’s currently installed capacity. Many more are queuing for capacity, though the operator makes clear that not all projects in the queue will see the light of day.
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