Skien municipality eyes up to half-billion kroner from AI data-center deal
Skien has signed an option agreement with Nscale and Løvenskiold-Fossum that could bring the town about half a billion kroner and host one of Norway’s largest AI data centres.
Skien municipality entered an option contract with British data-centre operator Nscale and the family firm Løvenskiold-Fossum for a 500-are site adjacent to the Grenland power station. The parties are seeking 576 MW of electricity from Statnett, and the town calculates that, at a market price of one million kroner per megawatt, the transaction could yield about half a billion kroner for the municipality. The deal hinges on the land being rezoned and connected to the grid, a process expected to take around two years.
Officials stress that the project would be the largest AI data centre in Norway and a key driver of jobs and growth for Skien. Nscale, in which Kjell Inge Røkkes Aker holds a 23.9 % stake, is also planning additional data-centre capacity in the region, including a neighboring site to Google’s new facility.
Why it matters
The deal could transform Skien’s economy by attracting a major AI data-centre and delivering substantial municipal revenue.
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