Sustainability heats up in Norwegian data centre industry

Page date: Published 15 Mar 2023; updated 21 Sep 2026. 4 min read.

The article says Norwegian data centres use renewable electricity and increasingly focus on reusing the heat they produce. It estimates that up to 85% of incoming energy can leave as waste heat and cites global figures of 2% of annual CO2 emissions and 3% of electricity use for data centres; those industry estimates are reproduced from the article and may be dated.

Examples include Stack Infrastructure’s Ulven facility in Oslo supplying waste heat to district heating, which the article says corresponds to the energy needs of about 5,000 apartments. Green Mountain had entered agreements to reuse heat from two rural data centres for land-based lobster and trout farming. The publisher presents these as examples of linking data centres with aquaculture; the page does not establish current project status or measured outcomes.

The article describes waste heat as a potentially predictable resource and calls for collaboration among data centre operators, municipalities and other sectors. It says the Norwegian Data Centre Industry Association joined European peers in the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, with a 2030 climate-neutrality commitment. It also describes a national strategy that called for a heat map and cost-benefit analyses of waste-heat recovery when new centres are established or upgraded.

Quick facts listed by the page: renewable-powered facilities; cool climate and mature digital infrastructure; 200 MW capacity and connectivity to Europe; major customers including Daimler and Volkswagen Group; government support; and access to skilled employees. These claims reflect the article’s 2023 reporting. Related links: Digital infrastructure; Energy; Circular economy. Contact route: Invest in Norway.