• Vertical Data agreed to acquire a data-centre site in central Sweden with 4.5MW of power capacity
  • The company plans to pursue up to 100MW in total, but that expansion remains subject to separate utility, regulatory and technical approval

The fact

Vertical Data agreed to acquire an industrial data-centre site in Sollefteå municipality, central Sweden, with 4.5MW of power capacity, the company said on 11 September. Its majority-owned subsidiary, Vertical Data Nordic, signed the purchase agreement.

The company expects the transaction to close within several weeks, subject to financing, corporate approvals, regulatory clearances and other conditions. Vertical Data also plans to continue an application to increase the site's total power capacity to as much as 100MW. That expansion still requires utility, regulatory and technical approval. After closing, the company said it would assess the site's development requirements, costs, customer demand and financing needs.

StreetInsider identified the property as being in Hamre Industrial Park. atNorth is separately planning a 300MW data-centre campus at the park, but that project is not part of Vertical Data's acquisition and does not establish the power available to Vertical Data's site.

The assessment

The 4.5MW attached to the acquisition and the proposed 100MW expansion are different stages of the project. The first gives Vertical Data a defined starting power position if the purchase closes. The second remains a development target that depends on approvals and further investment.

After closing, the immediate task is to establish what the existing site can support. Vertical Data has said it will assess development requirements and costs, which should clarify how much capacity can be used initially and what work is required before customers can be served. The 100MW figure should not be treated as available capacity until the additional power is approved and a delivery plan is defined.

For BTW readers, the acquisition gives Vertical Data a site with a defined starting power position, not a 100MW operating campus. The next useful evidence will be a development plan that separates usable initial capacity from the infrastructure and approvals needed for later expansion.

What to watch

Watch for the acquisition to close and for Vertical Data to publish its first site-specific development plan. Any approval for additional power should specify how much capacity is granted, what infrastructure is required and when that power could become available.