Summary
- Data centres above 10MW would enter the third of four proposed connection priority groups.
- An 80% flexibility commitment could move a large data centre into the second group.
- Pending requests without binding connection agreements could also be reassessed under the new regime.
Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is proposing a new system for allocating scarce electricity grid capacity that would place large data centres below smaller or more flexible consumers in congested areas.
The ministry sent a draft amendment to the Electricity Market Act for consultation on 18 September. The proposal would replace the current first come, first served approach with four priority groups where the network cannot accommodate every connection request.
Data centres would face lower capacity thresholds than most other electricity consumers. Facilities requiring no more than 1MW would enter the first group, while data centres between 1MW and 10MW would fall into the second. Projects above 10MW would normally enter the third group.
Other forms of electricity consumption would face thresholds of 3MW for the first group and 100MW for the second.
The proposed treatment reflects the combination of continuous demand, rapid development schedules, and greater potential location flexibility associated with data centres. Projects capable of moving to less constrained parts of the network would have less reason to rely on queue position alone.
The new process would apply only where available network capacity is insufficient. Connections in unconstrained areas could continue without entering the priority mechanism.
Group one requests would still be handled in arrival order. Requests in groups two to four would be considered through twice yearly allocation rounds, with the first batch required to be processed by the end of 2027.
Large data centres could improve their position by committing substantial demand flexibility. A facility above 10MW could move into the second group if it made demand response or flexible capacity equal to at least 80% of its peak demand available through an organised market.
Applicants could also strengthen a request through a production commitment covering at least half of estimated annual electricity consumption from a new generating plant in the same transmission congestion area.
Those commitments would remain attached to the connection rather than expiring once capacity had been secured.
The proposal changes the value of an early connection application. A project submitted before a competitor could still lose priority if its demand is larger, less flexible, or located in a more constrained part of the network.
Requests filed before the legislation takes effect could also be reassessed where the applicant has not yet signed a binding connection agreement. Land acquisition, planning work, and grid studies would therefore offer no guarantee that an existing project keeps its current position.
The law is intended to enter force on 1 January 2027, subject to the consultation and legislative process.
Finland’s data centre pipeline is expanding alongside industrial electrification and renewable generation. Fingrid has estimated that data centre investment could increase national electricity consumption substantially over the coming years, with southern Finland already facing areas of limited connection capacity.
The proposed regime does not remove the obligation to expand the electricity network. It determines how capacity is shared while transmission and distribution infrastructure catches up with demand.
Connection strategy would consequently become part of site design much earlier. A large project seeking firm power in a congested area could face a slower route than a smaller facility, a more flexible load, or a development willing to move closer to available generation and grid capacity.
