Haugaland Næringspark is selling a 360-acre plot of land to the data center company atNorth. Investments of around NOK 11 billion are planned in the first phase, and the establishment will be the first major industrial establishment in Haugaland Næringspark.
atNorth has entered into a facility contribution agreement with Fagne for a network capacity of 120 MW, and has ambitions for further expansion. The data center will be used for, among other things, cloud services and artificial intelligence. Cryptocurrency will not be mined in the data center.
– This is a major milestone for us. After almost 20 years of maturing and developing areas and infrastructure, we are now seeing the first major industrial establishments being realized in the park, says Tiril Fjeld, general manager of Haugaland Næringspark.
– It is natural that data centers are added to larger industrial parks like ours. Here we have access to power, space and infrastructure, which are important prerequisites for being able to utilize the excess heat from the data center for further value creation locally, says Fjeld.
Haugaland Næringspark entered into an option agreement with Statkraft in 2019, and has since then worked with them to implement a large-scale data center establishment in the business park.
– We are pleased that the good and long-standing collaboration with Haugaland Næringspark now results in the establishment of a solid and serious data center player in the park, says Ingeborg Kahlbom Wathne, Vice President for Industrial Development at Statkraft.
Major local ripple effects
The owners of Haugaland Næringspark – the five municipalities of Karmøy, Haugesund, Tysvær, Bokn and Vindafjord, and the state-owned industrial growth company Siva – aim to facilitate long-term industrial establishment in the park. The data center will have significant ripple effects both inside and outside the park, including in the form of concrete assignments for local suppliers.
– We have worked for many years to get to the point where we can now realize large-scale industrial establishments in Haugaland Næringspark. It is therefore an extra pleasure to wish atNorth, as the first major, a warm welcome to Haugalandet, says Monika Lindanger, mayor of the host municipality Tysvær.
The first construction phase will require over 70 employees at atNorth locally during the operational phase. The first employees in the Norwegian team are already in place, and more positions will be advertised before the summer. The establishment will also contribute to increased demand for local goods and services during both the construction and operational phases. During the development phase, there will be hundreds of jobs and opportunities for local contractors and suppliers.
– First of all, I would like to thank Haugaland Næringspark for a good and professional process. We look forward to developing the project further in close collaboration with them, the owners, businesses and residents in the coming years, says Johann Thor Jonsson, Director for Site Selection at atNorth.
Surplus heat is made available for local value creation
atNorth will make the excess heat from the plant available. To utilize it, agreements must be made with actors who can use the heat, and the necessary infrastructure must be built.
– We are already in dialogue with stakeholders who see opportunities in using surplus heat from our facility in Haugaland Næringspark. If anyone has a good idea for using the heat locally, we encourage them to contact us, says Jonsson.
Haugaland Næringspark has long had ambitions for circularity and resource sharing internally within the park and is also the initiator of the industrial collaboration Industriell Symbiose Haugalandet. In it, several of the region's largest industrial players are exploring concrete opportunities for sharing and utilizing surplus resources.
– Siva welcomes the establishment to Haugaland Næringspark. It strengthens the foundation for a holistic development of the park and can trigger new industrial opportunities and increased competitiveness through collaboration, shared infrastructure and sharing of resources, says Steinar Jørstad from Siva.
Regulatory process and open information meetings
Haugaland Næringspark has announced the start of zoning work to change the purpose of the land in question to data center purposes. The work will follow the ordinary zoning process and political consideration in Tysvær municipality. Open information and neighbor meetings will be arranged in the future.
– We want to be open and accessible, and invite anyone who wants to know more about the project to participate. This is a large establishment that many will have questions about, and we take that seriously, says Jonsson.
The dates for the meetings will be announced in due course. Among other things, there will be an invitation to a supplier conference on August 19th.
About the project, the way forward and atNorth
Actor: atNorth
Location: Northeast of Haugaland Business Park
Plot size: approximately 360 acres
Estimated investment (phase 1): approximately NOK 11 billion
Planned capacity: 120 MW in the first phase, with a desire for future expansions
The project aims to make an investment decision during 2026, with planned commissioning in 2028. atNorth will advertise positions locally before the summer.
