Danish mayors demand national strategy as data centres consume power like cities

Data centres across Denmark now consume electricity on the scale of major urban areas, prompting municipal leaders to call for central government intervention to regulate their expansion.

The surge in large-scale server farms—some occupying land equivalent to small villages—has strained local planning authority and sparked protests from residents, Faxe Municipality mayor Mikkel Dam (Liberal Alliance) told DR. His council votes tonight on whether to seek a ministerial exemption from zoning laws for an 800-megawatt facility proposed by atNorth near Høsten Torp. That capacity matches output from Denmark’s largest planned offshore wind farms or the hourly demand of 1.6 million households.

“This isn’t a decision local councils should be making alone,” Dam said. “The energy volumes involved far exceed municipal jurisdiction. We need national guidelines on how many data centres Denmark should host and where.”

Varde Municipality mayor Sarah Andersen (Venstre) echoed the call, citing falling property values and community unrest as Microsoft and atNorth prepare three new facilities in her area. “Our citizens deserve clarity—are they being bought out or left behind?” she said. “National politicians must set the rules.”

Energinet, Denmark’s grid operator, announced yesterday that limited capacity will delay connections for all major energy projects, including data centres. Some municipalities, however, resist restrictions. Guldborgsund mayor Simon Hansen (Social Democrats) warned against “Copenhagen meddling” after his council approved Falster’s largest-ever land sale for a data centre. “If we produce green power and attract investment, why block it?” he asked.

Denmark’s high share of renewable energy has made it a prime location for tech giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, but multiple parties now advocate deprioritising data centres in the queue for grid access.