Green Mountain has applied for an emissions permit for its data centre at Undheim, outside Bryne. A number of details have been redacted from the application.
The application, which was drawn up by the consultancy firm Sweco, has been submitted to the County Governor of Rogaland, former Minister of Health Bent Høie (H). The application concerns emissions and noise from diesel-powered generators intended to ensure the power supply in the event of a power cut, reports Stavanger Aftenblad.
The data centre has faced some local opposition because it is to be built in the middle of the fertile farmland on Jæren. However, the mayor of Time municipality, Andreas Vollsund (H), supports the project, which he has previously claimed will become the largest employer in the municipality. Mayor Vollsund clearly believed the company’s promises of at least 500 jobs from 2027.
Green Mountain will build a data centre on farmland in Time municipality
Security considerations
Press contact Mette Berger Gulbrandsen at Green Mountain is asked why information about emissions is being withheld from the public.
– The information that is withheld relates to technical details, capacity and contingency plans which, taken together, could provide insight into the facility’s structure and potential vulnerabilities.
– The authorities are currently assessing which facilities and information should be withheld for security reasons, and we therefore believe it is right to err on the side of caution.
Gulbrandsen emphasises that this does not apply to information regarding emissions or environmental impact, and states that the company may be more open about this information at a later date.
However, it is of little use to critics to gain access to such information once the data centre has been completed and is operational.
The County Governor states that it is they who have decided which parts of the application are to be kept confidential.
– The information that is withheld relates, amongst other things, to technical solutions and details that may be sensitive for reasons of security and competition. It is important to remember that this is an application for an emissions permit, not an application to build a data centre,’ replies Cathrine Stabel Eltervåg, County Environmental Protection Manager at the County Governor’s Office.
Aftenbladet asks how the consultation bodies are to form an opinion on the application without access to all the information.
– This consultation concerns emissions to air and noise from the data centre. It is the environmental impact of these emissions that is to be assessed in this case, not the entire data centre project. Although some details have been redacted, we believe the documents provide people with a sound basis and the information they need to form an opinion.
Eltervåg says that this is standard practice for the Ministry of Climate and Environment. A rejection of the emissions applications could have meant that Green Mountain would have had to change its plans or postpone the project.
The company claims that emissions will be limited and that the noise from the diesel generators will be up to 51 decibels, within the limit of 53 decibels.
Martin Tengesdal Torstenbø, Head of Planning and Administration at Time Municipality, says that the application will be processed administratively and has no objections to certain information being kept confidential during the consultation.
– The municipality respects the security considerations behind this, and we understand that certain information cannot be made public where it is deemed to pose a risk of undesirable incidents.
The deadline for submitting a consultation response is 23 November. However, this must be done without access to essential information.
