Denmark's parliament adopts an emergency electricity plan that deprioritizes data center grid connections during energy constraints.

Denmark has adopted an "emergency plan" for its electricity grid that prioritizes critical infrastructure over large data center projects. The Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Utilities announced the plan on October 1, 2026, with implementation set for October 12. The proposal, first introduced in August, replaces the current first-come, first-served principle with a tiered allocation model that gives Energinet and grid companies greater discretion in distributing limited grid capacity.

The plan divides connection requests into four categories. Category 1 receives highest priority and covers "standard load growth for existing customers, new households, small businesses (e.g., in transport), and critical societal functions such as defense, healthcare, and emergency services, including data centers linked to critical societal functions." Category 2 prioritizes projects that advance green transition and electrification efforts. Category 3 addresses energy storage facilities and co-located storage capacity beyond standard generation or consumption needs. Category 4, at the lowest priority, covers large energy consumers.

"In principle, this category will include data centers, which are typically not geographically bound and may have consumption patterns that negatively affect the grid," the government stated. "However, data centers linked to functions critical to society may be prioritized under Category 1."

Anna Bjerre, climate, energy and supply spokesperson for the Alternative party, welcomed the change: "Finally, we will have the gigantic, hyperscale data centers and tech giants at the back of the queue for the electricity grid and the opportunity to reject them, so that we can actually prioritize Denmark's critical societal functions and phase out our use of fossil fuels. It is only the first small step in the big task of electrifying our country and ensuring cheap, green, and stable energy prices, but a really important first step that can take effect already now."

Denmark's data center market remains modest, with facilities concentrated in and around Copenhagen. Microsoft launched a cloud region in the country following development that began in 2020, with construction continuing to expand capacity. Key operators include Digital Realty, atNorth, Penta Infra, Global Connect, and Stack Infrastructure.

Finland is exploring a similar tiered approach, proposing to prioritize smaller data center projects while delaying those requiring more than 10MW of capacity. The consultation period remains open through October 9.