Norway's Red Party tables urgent motion to freeze new data centres, but a quick majority has slipped away

Norway's Red Party (Rødt) is tabling an urgent motion in the Storting on Tuesday, 3 November, calling for a temporary stop to new data centre projects until stricter national rules exist. The push follows a warning from the energy regulator that data centre demand could tip the country into a power deficit. But a fast decision now looks unlikely.

A majority that fell apart

According to E24, Rødt's call for a pause is shared by the Christian Democrats (KrF), the Centre Party (Sp), the Socialist Left (SV) and the Greens (MDG). The Conservatives (Høyre) and the Progress Party (Frp) oppose it. On 2 November, Frp said it would not support urgent treatment and would instead vote to send the data centre proposals to the energy and environment committee, NTB reported. Frp energy spokesperson Tor Mikkel Wara said the proposals should be handled thoroughly but quickly, while criticising the government for taking too long to decide how to regulate the sector.

Without Frp, there is no majority for a vote on the day. NTB says the motion could come up the following Tuesday at the earliest. Rødt leader Marie Sneve Martinussen said she still believes a majority can be found.

Other proposals are also on the table. SV wants the government to use the Planning and Building Act to impose a temporary halt by regulation, modelled on the five-year stop on out-of-town shopping centres introduced in 1999, with exemptions for facilities that perform critical public functions. Høyre is calling for a national plan, a ban on crypto mining and a study of licensing for large power users. The Labour Party says it wants to wait for a white paper on digital sovereignty, which E24 reports is expected towards the end of 2027.

Why the issue escalated

The trigger was a report from the regulator NVE on 29 October. As reported by Reuters and E24, NVE head Kjetil Lund said data centres already granted grid capacity could consume 25 TWh a year by 2035, compared with 3 to 4 TWh, or about 2.5% of demand, today. Norway usually runs a surplus of around 15 TWh, and NVE warned of possible deficits and higher prices than in neighbouring countries if generation does not grow. Lund also questioned whether grid operators' current obligation to connect every customer still fits the situation.

Energy minister Terje Aasland (Labour) told E24 that parliament should wait because the government is preparing a lasting solution soon, and said Norway should keep attracting data centres that matter for national security. The government has not said what measures it will propose.