Green Horizon wins approval for Norway 1 data centre

Green Horizon has received planning approval for Norway 1, its first data centre near Stavanger, a 36 MW development in south-west Norway.

The approval clears the project to move into final design and construction after the site previously secured zoning consent. Green Horizon is working with international consultants and a contractor, with construction expected to begin later this year and service targeted for the second half of 2027.

Norway 1 is being developed as a carrier- and cloud-neutral facility for computing workloads that require large amounts of power and cooling. The site is planned with liquid-cooling readiness and is intended to support artificial intelligence, graphics processing unit and high-performance computing deployments.

The data centre will be built to Tier III standards and include multiple layers of redundancy. The design also provides for two Meet Me Rooms, diverse connectivity options and access to multiple network providers.

Green Horizon is positioning the Stavanger area as a location for low-latency links into the UK and mainland Europe, with onward routes to North America. That network access is central to the site's pitch to customers running data-intensive and time-sensitive workloads.

The project is the first phase of a broader regional platform. Green Horizon has secured 96 MW of power for three data centre developments to meet future demand.

Heat reuse

A key part of the Norway 1 plan is the reuse of surplus heat from the facility. Green Horizon has partnered with Norway's largest greenhouse operator and intends to supply excess heat to an existing adjacent greenhouse business and to a new greenhouse integrated into the data centre design.

Under the concept, the new greenhouse would sit directly on top of the data centre and form its roof. The arrangement has been technically validated and received unanimous approval from the local municipality.

The approach reflects a wider push among data centre operators to find productive uses for waste heat, particularly in colder climates and in areas where nearby industrial or agricultural users can take the energy. In Norway, the combination of hydropower, lower ambient temperatures and comparatively low electricity prices has made the country increasingly attractive to operators seeking lower operating costs and lower-emission power sources.

Norway 1 is designed to run on 100% renewable hydropower and is targeting a power usage effectiveness rating of 1.1 at full load. Green Horizon argues that these factors, together with tax conditions on energy consumption, could help customers manage the cost of running power-hungry computing systems.

Operations support

CBRE will support operations at the site by providing operational standards and round-the-clock monitoring. Green Horizon said its wider partner group also includes BHP, Siemens and CTS Nordics.

Total investment in Norway 1 is estimated at EUR 300 million. The build programme is expected to create about 400 construction jobs, alongside longer-term local economic activity linked to operating the site.

The scheme comes as Nordic countries seek to attract more digital infrastructure investment tied to artificial intelligence and advanced computing. For developers, the challenge has been securing sites with sufficient power, planning support and fibre connectivity while also addressing concerns about energy use and local impact.

Stavanger and the surrounding region have drawn attention for their available land, access to renewable electricity and cable routes linking Norway with overseas markets. Developers have also been testing whether heat recovery can improve the economics and public acceptance of large facilities that would otherwise release substantial amounts of excess energy into the atmosphere.

Richard Rettedal, Chief Executive Officer, Green Horizon, said: "Securing planning approval for Norway 1 marks a major milestone for Green Horizon and for our ambition to build Norway's AI data centre platform. Customers deploying AI and high-performance compute need dependable capacity, resilience and a clear route to scale. Norway 1 is designed to deliver high-density infrastructure powered by renewable hydropower, with heat reuse enabled by design - supporting both lower-cost operation and a lower operational footprint. We're proud that this project will contribute to the local community and bring new, renewable-powered capacity to the market."