Lappeenranta residents question solar and data centre plans

Residents near Huuhansuo in Lappeenranta are concerned about plans for a data centre of up to 480 megawatts, alongside a solar power project, Yle reports. They say the developments could threaten water quality, increase traffic on narrow village roads and restrict access to recreation areas.

Development company 3 Flash Finland presented its data centre plans to 30 to 40 residents and landowners at a meeting on Monday evening. Jorma Nisonen, chair of the Vilkjärvi and nearby villages’ residents’ association, said the announcement came as a surprise, with less than a week’s notice before the meeting.

The company has previously proposed a large solar power plant at Huuhansuo, an area partly made up of former peat production land and commercial forest that is zoned for energy production. Nisonen said residents’ views at Monday’s meeting were as critical as they had been at an earlier presentation about the solar project.

Residents are particularly worried about water pollution. Nisonen said they had not heard how the company would prevent stormwater from entering lakes. He also said the planned developments could make it harder to reach Tupavuori, which residents use for recreation and hiking.

Construction could also bring more traffic to the area’s narrow village roads, residents said. The data centre site would cover 105 hectares. Its stated maximum capacity is 480 megawatts, although company board chair Miko Huomo said the final size would depend on the environmental assessment, zoning and whether investors are found.

An environmental impact assessment for the data centre is under way and is due to be made available for public review at the end of November. Three appeals against the local plan for the solar project were filed with the Administrative Court of Eastern Finland over the summer and remain pending.

Residents recognise the potential benefits of jobs and tax revenue for the city, Nisonen said. He also noted that the area is close to a power substation and a gas transmission pipeline. The company plans to include solar power, battery storage and a gas-fired power plant at the data centre, to reduce its electricity use from the grid when power is scarce.

3 Flash Finland aims to complete zoning work with Lappeenranta by the end of 2028. The first phase of the project could begin no earlier than 2029.