Karstula plans 1.6 billion euro data centre and energy project

Karstula is planning an energy-sector investment worth about 1.5 to 1.6 billion euros, Yle reports. A data centre and energy storage facilities are proposed for the Koivuranta industrial area.

Karstula municipal executive board approved a planning reservation agreement with Energy Land Finland on Monday. The company plans to build energy storage facilities beside the data centre to collect waste heat as well as solar and wind power.

Up to 2,600 workers during construction

Construction is estimated to take about three years. The project could employ between 850 and 2,600 people during the construction phase, although the current estimates vary considerably.

Once completed, the data centre and energy storage facilities are expected to employ about 50 to 100 people.

The investment would occupy more than 30 hectares at the Koivuranta industrial area in Karstula. The area was completed at the end of last year, and a further 27 hectares next to it have been zoned for solar power plants.

Koivuranta was developed with funding from the European Union Just Transition Fund as part of efforts to renew the local economic structure after the decline of the peat industry.

Planning to continue for six months

Energy Land Finland plans to spend the next six months assessing the availability of energy in the area. The company will also examine how energy production could be integrated with Karstulan Lämpöverkko, the municipality’s heating plant.

The company would then submit applications for construction permits. The planning reservation agreement allows the investment to be planned, but it is not yet a decision to proceed with the investment or to transfer the land. The municipality said decisions on the land transfer would be made separately.

The effects of the construction project will be assessed through an environmental impact assessment procedure.