Spanning an area that is approximately 20km from Stavanger in south-west Norway, the new site comes as Green Mountain received a request from a large international client who wants to establish itself near the new Fagrafjell transformer station.
Therefore, the company needs to be granted the building permit for the first building in the project in order to meet the client's need for speedy delivery.
"This project will create substantial positive ripple effects in terms of value creation, new jobs, competence development and more. Our ambition is to build this facility with the lowest possible environmental footprint and to the highest standards of sustainability. All in line with our company vision," said Svein Atle Hagaseth, CEO of Green Mountain.
The client, one world’s top 20 technology companies, asked that the first phase of construction, which will take an estimated 12 months to build, be completed by January 2025, with the final phase to be completed by 2027.
Once operational, the data centre campus will consist of up to eight data halls following an investment of NOK 50 billion ($4.5 billion), with Green Mountain and the client contributing 50% of the cost each. Green Mountain guarantees a minimum of 500 full-time equivalents at the data centre when the entire campus is fully developed in 2027.
"Given that the majority in the municipal council is in Favor of the project, this will contribute significantly in our efforts to build new .green industry in the region," says Andreas Vollsund, the Mayor of Time municipality.
"Some people have raised their concerns about the number of jobs created by data centres. With Green Mountain's plans, this establishment will undoubtedly become the largest workplace in Time municipality in the coming years."
In addition, the company plans to build a data centre at Kalberg that aligns with the governments National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and National Data Center Strategy. It will also design the infrastructure for heat reuse purposes.
"We are in close dialogue with several companies on potential heat reuse projects. Food production in greenhouses, land-based fish farming, district heating and drying facilities are all among the options we explore," adds Hagaseth.
The application process is due to complete by the end of November with construction to start immediately afterwards.
