Denmark Pauses New Data Center Grid Connections as Requests Hit 60 GW

Denmark’s grid operator Energinet has paused new large-scale data center grid connections. The moratorium comes as total connection requests have reached 60 GW, with data centers accounting for 14 GW of that demand. Current peak power consumption in Denmark is about 7 GW.

Moratorium follows 60 GW in connection requests

The pause is set to last three months, though it may be extended. The Danish Data Center Industry (DDCI) estimates that installed data center power capacity will reach 1.2 GW by 2030. DDCI CEO Henrik Hansen told CNBC that the connection request queue reflects a “fantasy,” and that “the gap between what’s available and what’s requested is growing.”

Denmark is not alone in taking such measures. Other countries with similar moratoriums include the Netherlands, Ireland, Singapore, Germany’s Frankfurt, and several US states. Sebastian Bøtcher from Schneider Electric described the situation as “energy policy ‘hunger games’ between data centers and Danish businesses.”

Digital Realty’s Pernille Hoffmann stated that if grid capacity requirements are not met, AI players will be forced to “move [their workloads] somewhere else.” Energinet has not confirmed whether the moratorium will be extended beyond the initial three-month period.