The world’s first national strategy on data centers was published by the Norwegian government in 2018. Today, Minister of Regional Development and Digitalisation, Linda Hofstad Helleland, presented an updated version. The vision is to make Norway an even more attractive location for data centers.
Several actions have been taken since the first Norwegian data center strategy was launched. The government has removed property taxes on machinery and accessories in works and installations and data centers benefit from a reduced tax on electricity. They have facilitated additional fiber optic cables to other countries and new efficient regulations for cable installations on public infrastructure has been implemented.
With the updated strategy the government wants to take more actions to further improve business conditions and the attractiveness of Norway for data centers. The full strategy is still only in Norwegian but here are some of the highlights:
★ Continue to facilitate stable framework conditions for the data center industry.
★ Prioritize ICT educations to secure sufficient access to ICT competence and facilitate cooperation agreements between data center operators and educational institutions.
★ Facilitate sustainable development of the data center industry in Norway – for instance by requiring operators to make assessments of potential waste heat recovery when establishing or upgrading facilities.
★ Establish a national heat map to ensure better resource utilization of waste heat.
★ Strengthen the marketing of Norway as a data center nation.
★ Continue to strengthen the digital foundation – investments in fiber, grid and more renewable power to meet increasing demand.
In addition, the government has issued a guide on how to establish a data center in Noway. It gives essential information about regulatory processes, time to market and contact information to relevant authorities.
You can read more here: https://greenmountain.no/2021/08/11/norwegian-data-center-strategy/
You can read the data center guide here: https://www.regjeringen.no/en/dokumenter/how-to-establish-a-data-center-in-norway/id2867158/
Green Mountain is thankful for the Norwegian government’s efforts and support to grow the data center industry further. The result is that Norway can offer renewable energy and an ultra-low carbon footprint at a low cost, in combination with an excellent infrastructure and connectivity, a highly competent workforce, and experience within power-intensive industries. #settingthegreenstandard #datacenters #greenmountain
