Helios plans 500-megawatt data centre in Lapinlahti
Wednesday 12th August 2026 on 16:00 in
Finland
Helios Nordic Energy Finland is planning a data centre complex of up to 500 megawatts in Lapinlahti, Yle reports. The planned electricity consumption would be comparable to that of a large industrial facility or an entire city, according to project development manager Aleksi Aalto.
The company has submitted a zoning initiative to the municipality. More than 80 hectares have been reserved next to a Fingrid electricity substation and near the settlement of Alapitkä.
Helios plans to build the data centre complex on the same site as a solar park it is also developing. The data centre could use electricity generated by the solar park, with both facilities intended to connect to the Fingrid substation.
Yle previously reported that Helios had received a permit decision allowing it to build an 80 to 100 megawatt data centre on the site. The company must next apply for a building permit. Construction could begin next year.
If the larger project moves forward, the data centre area would be expanded in stages into a campus with several data centre buildings, Aalto said.
Potentially one of Finland’s largest
If completed, the facility would be one of the largest data centres in Finland. Helios is also planning a data centre with a capacity of hundreds of megawatts in Iisalmi, while a Canadian company is seeking to build a similarly sized facility in Kokemäki in the Satakunta region.
Lapinlahti municipal manager Henri Ruotsalainen said the project would represent a huge investment for the municipality and the wider Northern Savonia region. It could employ hundreds of people during construction and create more than 100 permanent jobs, he said.
The capacity of Finland’s largest currently operating data centre, Google’s unit in Hamina, is about 100 megawatts. According to the city of Hamina’s website, the centre currently employs about 500 people. Google has invested a total of 3.5 billion euros in Hamina.
The Lapinlahti municipal executive board will consider the zoning initiative on August 17.