Datacentre demand could raise Swedish power bills without new generation
A large datacentre could add SEK 100–1,000 a year to Swedish household electricity bills if its extra demand is not matched by new power generation, according to a new analyst calculation.
Energy analyst Christian Holtz modelled an additional 1,000 megawatts of demand for SVT’s report. That is the capacity Google has requested for its planned facility at Torsboda, near Timrå. The estimate varies with household consumption and location.
The calculation is a scenario, rather than a prediction of future bills. Additional electricity production could reduce the price effect. Holtz says new generation in southern Sweden, alongside new demand in the north, would help narrow regional price differences while raising prices in the north.
Sweden’s national grid operator has applications for about 7,000 megawatts of datacentre capacity, the report says. Applications do not establish how much electricity those facilities will ultimately consume.
Google has said nuclear investment could be one way to meet its needs. Its executive told SVT that reactors in Sweden were a possibility, without announcing a Swedish investment decision.
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