Helios Nordic Energy Finland Oy (Helios), a subsidiary of Helios Nordic Energy AB, a Nordic developer specializing in large-scale solar PV parks, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and green data centers is planning a large-scale data center in Koivu, Tervola, with the preliminary project area covering about 860 hectares.
According to a press release, the site is located roughly 20 kilometers from central Tervola. Helios has established a project company, Helios 1 Cranberry Oy, which has submitted a planning initiative to the municipality. The project’s planning process will include an environmental impact assessment to determine whether the area is suitable for data center operations.
The proposed site already has energy infrastructure in the area through a Fingrid power line that crosses the planning area, while the transmission system operator is planning a new Louepalo substation there and Helios intends to connect the data center to the planned substation.
Jenny Hölttä, Project Developer, Helios, said, ”Finland’s strengths for locating data centers are a safe and predictable operating environment, a reliable electricity network, a cool climate and high-quality communication connections. Finland has an excellent opportunity to become one of the top countries in the field. The need for data centers is now growing significantly, and in the current world situation, it is in the interest of all of us internet users that information about us can be processed securely on servers located in Finland.”
Mika Simoska, Mayor of Tervola, said, ”Tervola municipality is profiled as Lapland’s biomunicipality, where renewable energy is produced and utilized. It’s great that Helios has started planning a data center project in our municipality. In this way, the renewable energy produced in Tervola and the surrounding area can be utilized locally.
If developed, the project would bring new investment and jobs to Tervola and generate additional tax revenue for the municipality. The company also expects the development to have wider economic effects in the surrounding region. The project is at the planning stage, and the EIA and planning processes will determine the site’s suitability and the conditions for any future data center development.