Data centres account for 7,300 MW of applications in Svenska kraftnät’s grid-connection queue, DN reports. That potential load is large enough to require a clear national method for reserving capacity. But it should not be presented as electricity demand that Sweden has already locked in.
DN puts the total queue at about 27,300 MW. If the 7,300 MW sought by data centres ran continuously for a year, it would equal roughly 64 TWh. That is substantial beside the approximately 165 TWh Sweden currently produces annually and the roughly 130 TWh it consumes, according to DN. The comparison explains why capacity allocation cannot be treated as a series of isolated applications.
Yet Patrik Svensson of Svenska kraftnät told DN that the queue is not a forecast. Applicants also apply in other countries, creating duplicate applications in practice. Not every proposal has realistic financing, and some concern projects much further ahead. The queue also consists principally of operations that cannot meet their needs in the municipality or region where they want to operate and therefore seek transmission-grid connection.
The strongest objection to reading the number as imminent demand is therefore valid: 7,300 MW in applications is not 7,300 MW certain to connect. That is precisely why opaque or weak maturity tests are a problem, rather than a reason to dismiss the queue. Where applications may overlap or lack financing, the queue can misstate both actual demand and which projects deserve priority.
Sweden should distinguish credible, time-bound projects from reservations that may never proceed, while considering competing needs from electricity-intensive industry and new generation. DN’s figures do not settle how capacity should be allocated. They do show that the decision should rest on transparent criteria for project maturity, connection needs and electricity supply.
Sources
- Dagens Nyheter · Source date: 2026-11-14
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-14
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