Norwegian-owned data center developer, owner and operator Green Horizon announced it has received planning approval for Norway 1, its inaugural data center development. Norway 1 will have an integrated green house on its roof and will also provide exces heat to Norway’s largest greenhouse adjacent to the data center.
Having previously secured zoning approval for the site, the company now has the green light to progress towards final design and construction. Green Horizon is working with international consultants and a leading contractor to bring capacity to market. Construction is expected to commence later in 2026, with a target ready-for-service (RFS) date in the second half of 2027.
Located near Stavanger on the connectivity rich southwestern coast of the country, Norway 1 is planned as a carrier and cloud neutral data center designed to support resilient, low-latency connectivity into the UK and mainland Europe, with onward routes linking to North America. The design includes provision for two Meet Me Rooms, diverse connectivity options and multiple network providers, enabling customers to build the interconnection and redundancy they need for AI-era workloads.
Norway 1 will offer 36 MW of power capacity with liquid-cooling readiness. It will be built to Tier III standards and benefit from multiple layers of redundancy to support high-density AI, GPU and high-performance compute (HPC) deployments. The development forms the first phase of Green Horizon’s data center platform, with 96 MW of power secured for three data centers to meet future customer demand.
Excess heat for two greenhouses
Green Horizon stresses heat reuse will be an integral part: the company plans to provide excess heat from Norway 1 to both a new greenhouse integrated into the data center design and Norway’s largest greenhouse, located immediately adjacent to the data center. The new greenhouse is designed to sit directly on top of the data center, forming its roof and enabling the highly efficient reuse of waste heat. The concept has been technically validated and has received unanimous approval from the local municipality.
Operations will be supported by CBRE and the €300 million development will supposedly create approximately 400 construction jobs during the build programme.
Richard Rettedal, CEO of Green Horizon said “Securing planning approval for Norway 1 marks a major milestone for Green Horizon and for our ambition to build Norway’s AI data center platform. Customers deploying AI and high-performance compute need dependable capacity, resilience and a clear route to scale. Norway 1 is designed to deliver high-density infrastructure powered by renewable hydropower, with heat reuse enabled by design — supporting both lower-cost operation and a lower operational footprint. We’re proud that this project will contribute to the local community and bring new, renewable powered capacity to the market.”
