Hyrynsalmi may relax wind power distance rule for data centre

Hyrynsalmi municipality in Finland is prepared to reconsider its own rules to enable an energy park combining a data centre with renewable power production, Yle reports.

The planned energy parks would place electricity generation and consumption in the same area to meet the growing power demand of data centres. Similar parks are being planned in Hyrynsalmi, Lapinlahti, Karstula and Lahti.

The Hyrynsalmi project, planned for the Housuvaara area near Seitenjärvi, would include a data centre, up to nine wind turbines, a solar power plant, a battery storage facility and an industrial area.

The wind farm would have up to nine turbines, each with a capacity of about 7.2 megawatts. Its total nominal capacity would be about 65 megawatts, with a maximum overall height of 300 metres. The electricity produced would cover the annual energy needs of about 9,000 electrically heated detached houses.

The data centre would have a capacity of about 100 to 200 megavolt-amperes. The solar power plant would have a capacity of about 45 megawatts and the battery storage facility about 70 megawatts.

Under Hyrynsalmi’s guidelines, wind turbines must be at least two kilometres from residential areas. The current plan does not meet that requirement: the nearest turbines would be about 1.5 kilometres from homes.

“Hyrynsalmi has a wind power programme, which is a strategic plan without legal effect and includes this two-kilometre distance requirement,” said Esa Kemppainen, chair of the Hyrynsalmi municipal council.

A plan without legal effect is mainly intended to guide planning rather than impose binding rules.

Project company expects construction to begin in 2028

Despite the distance issue and delays to previous wind power projects, the company behind the project believes it can be built.

Metsä-Juntulan Energiapuisto, a project company owned by investment firm United Bankers, is responsible for planning and building the renewable energy facilities and battery storage.

Hyrynsalmi has approved the plan initiative, and environmental studies have already been carried out in the area. Construction of the energy park is scheduled to begin in 2028.

“I would definitely say this is a plan, not a dream,” said Heikki Kauppinen, a senior adviser at United Bankers.

According to Kauppinen, there are no fixed distance requirements in kilometres. Instead, distances are assessed based on landscape and noise impacts, which are taken into account during planning.

“On that basis, the municipal decision-makers will decide whether our project is approved or not,” he said.

The area includes land owned by the state, the municipality and private landowners. The project company is seeking to sign lease agreements with the landowners.

Discussions are also under way with a potential data centre operator, according to Kauppinen.

Construction is intended to begin with the data centre because its planning and assessment process is faster than that for wind power projects. A data centre does not require environmental assessments as detailed as those required for wind power.

“For the data centre, construction could begin within 18, perhaps 24, months,” Kauppinen said.

The data centre would be connected to Finland’s national electricity system. The electricity generation planned for the Metsä-Juntula energy park would cover part of its power needs.

Existing infrastructure supports the plan

Hyrynsalmi municipality approved the plan initiative in August 2025. The energy park is currently planned across an area of 1,450 hectares around Housuvaara, about seven kilometres from the centre of Hyrynsalmi.

“The Seitenjärvi area provides a good environment for implementing this energy park. There is water, a transmission line and a substation nearby, as well as space,” Kemppainen said.

The area also contains a hydroelectric power plant and a transmission line. A railway line between Kontiomäki in Paltamo and Pesiökylä in Suomussalmi runs through the planned area.

Hyrynsalmi already has 33 wind turbines. “The municipality’s finances currently rely heavily on property tax revenue from wind power,” Kemppainen said.