Finland's Green Data Centre Pairs Wind Power With Cooling

A renewable energy developer in Finland is moving into data centre infrastructure with a project designed around green electricity supply and natural cooling systems.

Winda Energy, which has built wind farms and solar parks across Finland for fifteen years, has announced plans for a 100MW facility in the Rastikangas industrial zone in Janakkala. The municipality sits in the Kanta-Häme region of southern Finland.

The company operates more than a dozen wind farms across Finland and has a wind pipeline exceeding 1GW and solar projects surpassing 800MW.

Tuomas Hooli, Chief Executive Officer of Winda Energy, says: "Finland and Winda Energy have already invested heavily in green electricity production and it is great to see how this opens up new business opportunities on the consumption side."

Green electricity meets data demand

The Janakkala project could show how renewable energy developers are positioning themselves to supply power-intensive infrastructure directly.

Winda Energy holds a majority shareholder in BHM Renewables, a Czech private equity investor and part of BHM Group. The company has previously signed a power purchase agreement with Amazon.

The facility will be co-developed with Gi21 Capital, a Czech investment company with two decades of experience across data centre development, cloud platforms and hosting services. According to the company, Gi21 operates across the full project lifecycle and has a presence in early-stage AI start-up investment.

The investment is estimated to exceed €500m (US$584m), making it one of the more substantial data centre commitments in Finland in the past few years.

Natural cooling and low energy use

Finland's climate could mean lower operational energy costs for cooling infrastructure compared with warmer regions in Europe.

Facilities in the country use cold outside air for cooling, which reduces the reliance on energy-intensive mechanical systems. This approach could keep power usage effectiveness ratios well below industry norms.

According to Winda Energy, wholesale electricity prices in Finland sit among the lowest on the continent, driven partly by expansion in wind energy generation.

A 22-hectare site has been reserved at Välirasti 2 in the Rastikangas zone. According to the municipality of Janakkala, the facility could ultimately span around 112,110 square metres.

Construction and local impact

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with completion targeted for 2028.

According to Janakkala, the facility is expected to employ hundreds of workers during construction. Ongoing operations are projected to sustain between 30 and 40 permanent positions for local specialists.

The municipality stands to benefit from increased municipal, property and corporate tax revenues, as well as proceeds from the sale of the land.

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Harri Vierikka, Technical Director of Janakkala, says: "The project is extremely significant for the municipality and positive in its overall impacts. It strengthens the municipality's vitality, supports the area's development and demonstrates that the municipality is seen as a credible location and investment environment even at times when new investments are not easily realised."

Policy questions remain open

A government proposal currently before parliament would move electricity used in data centres from the lower tax category to the higher general rate from July 2026. The change would add around €2.19 (US$2.56) per kilowatt hour to operating costs.

Some members of the Finnish Government have expressed dissatisfaction with TikTok's announced data centres in the country. Critics have suggested that the Government needs broader oversight on the country's data centre sector.

A new incentive scheme is being prepared in parallel, expected to enter into force in autumn 2026. The precise form and conditions remain under development.

Whether that regulatory uncertainty gives developers pause remains to be seen. For now, the Janakkala project indicates appetite for Finnish data centre capacity continues.