Pareto Executive Lars Ove Skorpen Proposes Large-Scale Gas Power for Norwegian Data Centers

The Norwegian Gas Paradox and Export Margins

Norway set an export record last year by sending 22.5 terawatt-hours of electricity to Europe, but the country exported significantly more energy through fossil fuels. According to Skorpen, 30 percent of Norwegian gas is burned in European power plants to generate electricity. Speaking at Paretokonferansen, Skorpen noted that Norway sells electrons to Europe via gas as an intermediary, while European nations capture the financial margins, tax revenues, and jobs.

Data from 2025 shows that Norway exported a staggering 1,271 terawatt-hours of gas. Skorpen emphasized that a terawatt-hour sold as raw gas is worth only a fraction of a terawatt-hour converted domestically into computing power.

Bypassing Grid Queues with Direct Gas Connections

AI data centers require a constant, uninterrupted power supply where outages result in massive financial losses, making intermittent wind and solar power impractical without expensive battery storage and grid reinforcements. Nettavisen reported that building new transmission lines in Norway faces severe delays and conflicts, such as a Finnmark power line where environmental protections for dverggås and reindeer nearly doubled the price tag.

To avoid Statnett’s grid queues and land-use conflicts, Skorpen proposes building data centers directly linked to new gas power plants at gas landing sites without touching the public electricity grid. This approach mirrors how data centers are constructed in the United States, a strategy that Equinor CEO Anders Opdal also highlighted during his presentation at the conference.

Integrating Carbon Capture with Northern Lights

Equinor is already heavily involved in carbon capture and storage infrastructure, specifically through the Northern Lights storage facility in Øygarden near Kollsnes. According to Skorpen, equipping new domestic gas power plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) solves emissions concerns while providing guaranteed customers for the Northern Lights project.

Skorpen argued that if Norway is serious about its carbon capture investments, the country should utilize them fully by letting tech giants fund the infrastructure. Tech companies across the globe are currently racing to secure guaranteed power supplies regardless of the source—whether gas, coal, or small modular reactors—and are willing to pay premium prices for stable energy.

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