European data center developer Magnora has secured a firm grid connection for its Hämeenlinna data center project near Helsinki, Finland.

The 150,000 sqm (1.61 million sq ft) facility is being developed in partnership with Northern Europe Energy Group (NEEG). Magnora secured a 70 percent stake in the project from NEEG in January.

The connection is scheduled for Q1 2029; however, the company claims it could be connected via a faster process, which could move the connection date up to H2 2028.

In addition to the grid connection, Magnora also signed a non-binding Letter of Intent with a local utility to connect the data center to the local district heating network, backup power, and additional electricity for the project.

“We are very pleased with this fast-track development, which would not have been possible without the support from and co-operation with the municipality and local partners. The MDATA team, which has developed a number of powered land projects over the last years, is now applying its experience to advance the Hämeenlinna project in close co-operation with local stakeholders,” said Erik Sneve, executive chairman at Magnora Data Center ASA.

The company also said that, following an analysis of the project and discussions with partners, it has increased the data center’s potential capacity to more than the previously reported 120MW. The company now claims that it will “develop a significantly larger project with a multi-site campus with more electricity over the next years after the initial phase.”

Magnora did not disclose the data center’s revised capacity. DCD has reached out for further information.

Magnora was initially founded in 2001 and transitioned into a dedicated renewable energy investor in 2018, since investing in a number of wind, solar, and battery projects. The company recently acquired a majority stake in Norwegian data center developer Storespeed.

Before this, last December, the firm announced that work had started on a 100MW data center project on the western coast of Norway in Kristiansund.

The company is also targeting data center development in Sweden, but hasn’t detailed any planned projects yet.