Seinäjoki data centre meeting draws crowds and cost concerns

A public meeting about a planned data centre in Seinäjoki attracted so many people that dozens were turned away at the door, Yle reports. Residents raised concerns about electricity supplies, rising prices and the costs to taxpayers.

The event, organised by the City of Seinäjoki, filled the Jaaksi Hall at the city library. The meeting was also streamed live on the city’s YouTube channel and remains available as a recording.

British company Pure Data Centres Group is building the data centre along Itäväylä. The company says the Seinäjoki project is the largest single investment ever made in Finland from Britain. The investment could eventually reach 7.5 billion euros.

Residents submitted questions on a wide range of topics, including the environment, electricity prices and the financial condition of Pure DC, the company building the centre.

Väinö Kuoppala attended because he felt there were still many unanswered questions.

“Significant things are happening in Seinäjoki, so this should be of interest. Hopefully the data centre will give the region a boost,” he said.

Aila Laine said she wanted answers about nature and the environment.

“This is a very good thing, but nature comes to mind first. How will this change affect nature and animals?” she asked.

Residents ask who will pay

City officials, representatives of the data centre’s development company and Pure DC answered questions from residents.

One of the main concerns was whether electricity would be sufficient and whether its price would rise. Residents also asked who would pay for building the main electricity grids.

Other questions concerned jobs, the proportion of domestic workers and whether the data centre could benefit district heating. The panellists were also asked whether the centre would guarantee jobs for young people who study the field at Sedu and SeAMK.

Some residents questioned whether the data centre industry could undermine other industries by consuming all the available electricity.

Some remain unconvinced

Discussion continued after the meeting ended. Alpo Kitinoja said he was satisfied with what he had heard.

“A very good event. Good experts and illuminating examples. My own view was strengthened further,” he said.

He also identified nature and the environment as concerns in the wider shift towards electrification, which involves a great deal of new construction.

Not everyone was convinced by the experts’ answers.

“Make sure that there are facts to support all this excessive praise,” said a man who did not want to give his name.

Reino Elomaa said some of his questions had been answered, but his concerns remained.

“This will still create quite a large tax burden for taxpayers. And the company that owns this is foreign. The wind turbines are also foreign-owned. Finland benefits very little, and the profits go elsewhere,” he said.

The City of Seinäjoki has collected residents’ questions and answers on its website. Pure DC plans to hold another public meeting in October.

Data centre project in figures

The first phase will create a 110-megawatt facility in the Kivenneva area, beside Itäväylä and the road to Peräseinäjoki.

The campus could eventually have more than 550 megawatts of capacity. The initial investment is 1.5 billion euros, while the total investment could rise to 7.5 billion euros.

Pure Data Centres Group said in July that the Seinäjoki project was the largest in the company’s history and the biggest single investment ever made in Finland from Britain. The company builds data centres for “the world’s largest cloud and technology companies”, according to the City of Seinäjoki.

Finland has seen a data centre boom, with its cool climate and affordable electricity attracting companies.