The Swedish investment company Claesson & Anderzén (“CA Group”) places one of Europe’s first sector-coupled data centers in GreenLab, Denmark, combining large-scale digital infrastructure with energy flexibility and industrial symbiosis. The data center is expected to be fully operational in 2027.
CA Group has signed an agreement to establish a flexible data center of up to 100 MW IT-load in GreenLab’s green industrial park in Skive, Denmark. The project represents a billion-scale investment and marks a significant step towards integrating large-scale digital infrastructure into a flexible, electrified energy system.
CA Group chose GreenLab due to its pre-zoned land, fast permitting processes and already available electrical infrastructure, enabling significantly faster time-to-market than alternative locations in Europe. In addition, GreenLab’s location uniquely combines access to clean, cost efficient electricity and access to one of Europe’s most stable power grids, an essential factor for reliable data center operations.
– This project reflects our belief that future data centers must be designed differently,” says Erik Rune, CEO of CA Group. “GreenLab offers a unique environment where large-scale energy projects can be developed with energy flexibility, sector coupling and sustainability built in from day one. “This project will not only power the next generation of AI applications and high-performance computing, but also contribute to digitalisation, create skilled jobs and accelerate the green transition, all while setting new benchmarks for green data center operations.
– The project represents the realisation of GreenLab’s original ambition, and it is a major step forward in accelerating the green transition in digital infrastructure,” says Thomas Helsgaun, CEO of GreenLab. “Our goal has always been to be able to integrate large energy users into our green industrial park and reduce strain on the power grid – and the scale of this project highlights the strategic importance of industrial symbioses and microgrids when building the energy system of the future.
From passive consumer to active contributor
Traditionally, data centers are seen as large, inflexible electricity consumers that place increasing pressure on power grids all over the world. The new CA Group data center in GreenLab does the exact opposite. It is not designed as a passive energy consumer, but as an active contributor to the energy system, both in GreenLab’s internal energy grid and in the national grid. The data center will be directly connected to GreenLab’s energy park and run on renewable power from wind and solar in combination with a dual-fed connection to the national grid. It will also be integrated into GreenLab’s industrial symbiosis, the SymbiosisNet™, which provides a series of advantages.
– Data centers are often seen as a strain on the energy system. Here, we are demonstrating the opposite,” says Thomas Helsgaun. “This facility is designed to operate as part of the energy system, not outside it. It will support energy balance and flexibility and even share surplus heat, and it shows how digital infrastructure and the green transition can reinforce each other when planned as one system.
Balancing the energy system is a key benefit
A key benefit of integrating a large-scale data center into GreenLab’s industrial cluster lies in its ability to strengthen and stabilise the local energy system. While surplus heat from the data center can be reused by site partners and potentially supplied to district heating networks, the data center’s most important contribution is its backup systems as a flexible asset in the power system. Supported by a hybrid auxiliary and backup system, the facility can provide grid balancing and flexibility when it is not required for backup. The system combines battery storage with bio- or e-fueled power generation which can be activated quickly to supply or store electricity during peak demand or when renewable energy production does not align with the consumption. This helps stabilise the electricity system in real time, reducing pressure on the national electricity grid and supports a secure, resilient energy system based on renewable energy. This creates value not only for GreenLab, but for society as a whole.
FACTS
- Capacity: 100 MW or the equivalent computing power of hundreds of thousands of high-performance servers, enough to run millions of advanced applications simultaneously
- Facility: 45,000 m² two-storey building
- Backup systems: large-scale hybrid solution combining battery storage and sustainable fuel power generation
- 30 full-time positions on site
Erik Rune, CEO Claesson & Anderzén
erik.rune@claessonanderzen.com
+46 733 99 40 30
About CA Group
Claesson & Anderzén Group is a private investment company with over 110 years of history in investing in real estate, agriculture, infrastructure and tech. Learn more at: claessonanderzen.com
About GreenLab
GreenLab is a green and circular industrial park where power generation, conversion, storage, and usage are intelligently integrated. Located in Skive, Denmark, GreenLab is a catalyst for green innovation and sector coupling, offering companies a unique platform to electrify and operate sustainably and efficiently. Learn more at: www.greenlab.dk