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Former Svenska kraftnät CEO Mikael Odenberg cautioned against establishing large server rooms.
Now he accuses the government, network companies and Business Sweden of being ignorant.
– It is idiotic to establish server rooms in Mälardalen, he says.
Mikael Odenberg was CEO of Svenska kraftnät from 2008 to 2017. He led the authority when the Swedish government’s massive investments in server rooms took off.
Now it is critical and assures that it warned that the electrical networks would be overloaded if they did not make sure to combine the establishment with access to local electricity production.
– If you set up server rooms in the wrong places, it reinforces the internal transmission problems that we have in Sweden. My impression is that various actors, from the government to the export authorities, have been very clueless, he says.
Photo: Maja Suslin / TT / TT NEWS AGENCY
Mikael Odenberg.
“Completely koko”
Amazon is now building three server rooms in Mälardalen, how do you see it?
– When I heard Northvolt talk about establishing a battery factory in Västerås, I thought it sounded completely boiling. Mälardalen is an area of concern from a network point of view. It is idiotic to set up server rooms in Mälardalen.
Whose fault is it?
– My impression is that the government has realized that this is a brilliant business idea. These investments have been actively supported and the wisdom of this can be questioned, especially if facilities are supported in geographically inappropriate areas.
Photo: Pontus Orre
Amazon web services server room in Kjula, outside Eskilstuna. Here you can see the first room of three before the facilities are completed.
Varnade Business Sweden
Mikael Odenberg further says that, as CEO, he pointed out the inappropriateness of establishing server rooms at Mälardalen for Business Sweden. The semi-government organization is working to get foreign tech companies to set up their server rooms in Sweden, something Aftonbladet has examined in previous articles.
– They were trying to convince Sweden as a great place for server rooms. I told you that Sweden certainly has a surplus of electricity, but that does not mean that it can just dump a server room anywhere in the country.
Put an end to the server room in Stockholm
Could it have done more to prevent development?
– This problem was completely in its infancy when I left Svenska kraftnät. But I realized it. When a large server room was planned at Henriksdalsberget in Stockholm, I was clear and said “not possible”.
Mikael Odenberg points to two letters he sent to politicians in Stockholm in 2016 stating that electrical outlets were not possible in Stockholm for new server rooms.
Ygeman recognizes problems
Energy Minister Anders Ygeman (S) agrees that there may be problems if server rooms are set up where there is currently a shortage of capacity, for example in Mälardalen.
– It is clear that we will not support establishments in geographically inappropriate areas. It is up to the network owners and Svenska kraftnät to manage these facilities to where there is capacity.
Is more state control needed?
– Yes, I believe that new tools may be necessary for the part of the country in which it is established. Today we have a first-in-queue principle, whoever registers interest first gets capacity first. You have to prioritize harder so that you can control activities that may be located elsewhere.
Has the government been naive in getting these companies to establish themselves in Sweden?
– No, I don’t think so, but we must develop the instruments.
PODD Reporters on the Internet giants
Aftonbladet Daily talks to Olof Svensson and John Granlund.
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