Warning about the effects of data centers – “Dangerous to domestic food production”

The Kauppapuutarhaliitto warns about the effects of data center projects on Finns.

“Domestic greenhouse production threatens to fall behind in development. The rapid growth of data centers increases the demand for electricity and tightens the competition for energy. Growing demand raises the market price of electricity, especially in winter and during peak consumption periods,” says Kauppapuutarhaliito’s executive director Lassi Remes.

“This endangers the profitability and competitiveness of domestic food production and weakens security of supply.”

According to him, this endangers the profitability and competitiveness of domestic food production.

Finland’s data center projects have been talking a lot lately. There has been discussion, among other things, about whether the biggest value of the giant investments remains only in the employment effects during the construction period of the data centers or whether there is also longer-term added value for the national economy.

Now it happened – where were you when the Finnish economy started to take off?

Financial life explained earlier where the data centers will go, how much electricity they consume and whether they will bring more jobs.

In its release, Kauppapuutarhaliitto refers to estimates according to which the electrical power of data centers in Finland can rise to up to 1,500 megawatts – and in the fastest growth scenarios to over 2,000 megawatts by 2030.

Kauppapuutarhaliitto says that in Finland, in practice, even the size of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant’s electrical power is being reserved for data processing, which is mainly used by international technology companies.

Remes warns that with the massive data center projects, the production of waste heat in Finland will grow to an exceptionally high level. According to him, heat is often generated in the wrong place and at the wrong time, which means that its utilization possibilities remain limited.

Several projects plan to build new, very large greenhouses in connection with data centers to utilize waste heat. In reality, the possibility of individual greenhouses to utilize this heat is very limited, according to Remes.

“Greenhouses built in connection with data centers can distort competition, lead to significant overproduction of domestic vegetables and a crisis in the profitability of primary production. New greenhouse investments must be made according to market conditions and carefully,” says Remes.

“The greenhouse industry provides employment all year round and produces domestic food. The importance of the industry as part of the national food supply is emphasized especially in geopolitically uncertain times. It is important to look at where the limited energy is directed and what kind of social benefit it achieves,” continues Remes.