Thank you to everyone who attended our recent community town hall on 18 June. It was great to see so many residents, local businesses, and cabin owners taking the time to join us, ask questions, and share your views on the future of Tonstad DataPark.
If you were unable to attend, we have provided a summary of the key updates, discussions, and questions covered during the evening below.
As our CEO, Dan Thomas, explained during his opening remarks, community engagement is incredibly important to us. While some time had passed since our previous town hall, our conversations with the community never stopped. Over recent months, the team has continued meeting residents through open office sessions, school visits, and informal discussions, while also sharing updates through our website and social media channels.
From the beginning, we made a conscious decision to engage with the community early in the development process. We wanted residents, local businesses, and cabin owners to have visibility of the project and an opportunity to provide feedback while important decisions were still being made, rather than waiting until plans had been fully finalised. The benefit of this approach is that community feedback has directly influenced the project as it has evolved.
As a result of your input, we have already made a number of refinements to the development. These include reducing building heights, exploring architectural and visual treatment options to help the buildings blend more effectively into the surrounding landscape, and working extensively to minimise potential environmental and noise impacts.
Engaging at such an early stage also meant that, at times, some aspects of the project were still being studied, assessed, and refined. This meant we were not always able to provide immediate answers to every question.
Having now completed more than 15 environmental and technical studies, we were able to share accurate and evidence-based findings, helping to answer many of the questions raised.
We hope the session provided greater clarity on the project and its next steps. However, we recognise that questions may remain, so please do not hesitate to email us at: [email protected]
Project progress and timeline
During the town hall, we shared an overview of the the key milestones ahead. We remain committed to keeping the community informed as the project progresses and will continue to provide updates as important developments occur. We will also host additional town halls and meetings in due course.
Design updates informed by community feedback
Following feedback received from previous town hall meetings, new renders were shared. Community feedback was taken into consideration with building heights successfully reduced.
Alongside these changes, GreenScale is continuing to explore a range of architectural and visual treatment options to help the buildings blend into the surrounding environment as much as possible. These treatments will continue to be refined as the project moves through the planning process and we welcome feedback.
Technical reports have been completed
GreenScale has now completed multiple technical studies covering areas including:
- Acoustics
- Heat reuse
- Water and waste-water
- Traffic safety
- Risk and Vulnerability (ROS)
- Geo-environmental
- Ecological
- Vegetation
- Birds
- Geotechnical
- Geological
- Flood
The reports are publicly available and anyone interested in learning more can contact Sirdal municipality to access the documentation and review the findings in greater detail.
Jobs and long-term benefits
Tonstad DataPark will create significant positive economic opportunities for Sirdal and is expected to support 800 direct jobs during construction and 250 direct jobs during operations, with GreenScale becoming the largest private-sector employer in Sirdal.
In addition to these direct employment opportunities, the project is expected to generate wider economic benefits through increased demand for local suppliers, contractors, accommodation providers, transport services and support businesses. These ripple effects can create further opportunities for local companies and contribute to long-term economic activity in the region.
Source: Samfunnsøkonomisk Analyse (SØA)
Water use and data centre cooling
Water use is a frequently mentioned concern surrounding data centres. It is worth noting that Tonstad Datapark will use modern dry cooling technology, which significantly reduces water consumption. Outside of a closed loop system, no water will be used for cooling.
Noise and community considerations
Noise has also been an important topic raised by residents. Detailed acoustic studies have been completed and noise reduction remains a key design priority. The findings show that the data centre will not be audible from Tonstad. For nearby locations such as Josdal, GreenScale is incorporating extensive mitigation measures into the design to minimise noise impacts as much as possible.
The maximum noise level permitted during normal operations is 40 decibels, measured outside the closest residential window to the site. This is comparable to typical background environmental noise and is classified as a “soft” sound level on standard decibel scales.
Source: Acoustic study conducted by Brekke & Strand.
Continuing the Conversation
The town hall was not intended to be the end of the conversation, but another important step in an ongoing process of engagement. We would like to thank everyone who attended, asked questions and contributed to the discussion. Your feedback has helped shape the project to date, and we look forward to continuing that conversation in the months and years ahead.