NVE to send Fyresdal data centre grid applications to consultation in October

The grid permit applications for EdgeConneX's data centre in Fyresdal, Telemark, will go out for public consultation during October, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) told E24. The project has applied for a total of 365 MW from the grid, according to E24, and construction of the data centre started in the first quarter of 2026.

To supply the site, EdgeConneX needs a new transformer station and high-voltage lines, and that work cannot start until the permits are in place. The concession application for the grid works was filed on 5 December 2025. Fyresdal mayor Erik Skjervagen (Labour) says NVE indicated at the time that it would take one to five months to assign a case officer. "We are not satisfied with NVE's processing time. It is extremely slow," he told E24 (translated from Norwegian).

Skjervagen raised the matter in a letter to energy minister Terje Aasland. The Ministry of Energy replied on 9 October that it understands the importance of case processing and that faster processing is an important priority.

Inga Nordberg, director of NVE's energy and concession department, told E24 that the December application was incomplete and that NVE received a complete version in February after dialogue with the company. The transformer station also depends on grid company Lede, which is to build 10 km of high-voltage lines. According to E24, NVE gives higher priority to security of supply and the connection of new power generation than to data centres. Nordberg said the letter to the minister had not sped up the case, which is handled like others of the same kind.

A separate application from Lede for a new Molandsmoen switching station, based on a 140 MW connection request from EdgeConneX, is listed by NVE as queued and not yet assigned a case officer.

The case illustrates how grid permitting has become a timing factor for large Norwegian sites. In August 2026, 3,841 MW of grid capacity was reserved for data centres in Norway, about half of all reserved capacity, according to NVE, citing Statnett's statistics. E24 reports that data centres account for 8,820 MW, or 60 per cent, of the capacity requested in Statnett's connection queue.

The next step is the consultation, after which NVE will decide on the concessions.

Source: E24, NVE case page, NVE

This article was written with AI assistance and reviewed by the SDC-Platform editorial team before publication.