Data Centers to Drive Up Electricity Prices in Finland

Within a few years, data centers could account for one-fifth of Finland’s electricity consumption.

According to a report, electricity consumption by data centers in Finland is estimated to rise to between 13 and 23 terawatt-hours by the end of 2030. This scenario assumes that all currently known projects that have received building permits are actually carried out.

The data center industry released the report—conducted by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland—on October 28.

This would mean that the share of the country’s total electricity consumption accounted for by data centers could rise from the current 2–3 percent to as much as 12–19 percent. The estimate also takes into account the projected growth in other areas of electricity consumption.

According to experts who appeared on the program Huomenta Suomi (“Good Morning Finland”) earlier in October, the scale of the increase in electricity consumption driven by data centers has not been fully grasped in Finland, and the country has not prepared for it. As a result, it is possible that, in the future, the average Finn will pay more for electricity—or even go without it at times.

Source: MTV Uutiset (in Finnish)