Esbjerg Municipality welcomes major international data center investment

Prime Data Centers has secured the right to acquire a 640,000 m² area on Nordre Tovrupvej, offered by Esbjerg Municipality. Here, the company plans to establish facilities on par with the largest hyperscale data centers in Europe. The first phase includes an IT capacity of 160 MW IT and an investment of approximately DKK 15 billion, but in the long term, the capacity can be expanded to 550 MW IT.

A conscious strategy

It is no coincidence that the investment lands in Esbjerg. For several years, both the municipality and Business Esbjerg have worked systematically to attract data-heavy companies and international digital investments. The project marks yet another significant foreign investment in the municipality and supports the municipality's clear strategy to be a leading digital infrastructure hub in Northern Europe.

"Prime Data Centers' decision confirms that our strategy works. We have focused on creating good conditions for data-heavy companies, and through close cooperation between Business Esbjerg and the municipality, we have been able to deliver the expertise and service that large international investors expect," says Mayor Jesper Frost Rasmussen.

The company's decision to plan a project in Esbjerg is based on an assessment that the area is one of the most attractive places in Northern Europe for advanced digital infrastructure.

"We are very pleased with the opportunity to establish ourselves in Esbjerg. The collaboration with Business Esbjerg and Esbjerg Municipality has been both professional and welcoming. The way the process has been approached has given us great confidence that Esbjerg is the right place to invest, and we look forward to continuing the good cooperation in the further development of the project," says Nicholas Laag, founder and CEO of Prime Data Centers.

Access to power is a prerequisite for the project. Prime Data Centers' establishment requires the necessary connections with Energinet, and the company is therefore in dialogue with Energinet about the technical clarification and grid connection. The establishment will involve an expansion of the electricity infrastructure in the area, which the company will contribute to financing as part of the process.

Local business opportunities

The new project will open significant collaboration opportunities for local suppliers within everything from construction and logistics to IT infrastructure and advanced technical solutions. In addition to several hundred jobs during the construction phase, Prime Data Centers expects the investment potentially to create 150–200 permanent, highly specialized jobs.

"After close cooperation with Prime Data Centers in the start-up phase, we now look forward to the upcoming planning and regulatory process. Subject to an approved EIA, construction could begin in 2027. Here, our local companies must come into play, and Business Esbjerg is ready to match competencies, facilitate dialogues, and ensure that the value of this investment remains in the area," says Karsten Rieder, director of Business Esbjerg.

A local hub with international reach

Esbjerg's position as a digital and energy hub has been a clear competitive advantage in the process. Several of Northern Europe's most important fiber connections land close by, the electricity and grid infrastructure is robust and green, and the area has many years of experience in carrying out large energy projects. At the same time, the established district heating infrastructure provides good opportunities to incorporate surplus heat in future solutions, which has been relevant for Prime Data Centers' assessment.

Prime Data Centers' project must now undergo an EIA assessment, which examines the environmental impacts of the facility before a final decision can be made on the construction.