Protest tour against data centers begins in Kouvola

A protest tour targeting data centers and a planned high-voltage power line, dubbed the Harjulinen, commenced at the Kouvola city hall. The initiative is led by Pekka Väisänen, who expressed disappointment at the minimal local turnout.

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We haven't been welcomed very warmly, and you can see that here too.

"We haven't been welcomed very warmly, and you can see that here too," Väisänen commented, suggesting that residents of Kouvola are hesitant to criticize data center projects due to a strong desire for new employment opportunities. The Harjulinen power line is planned to traverse 14 municipalities, largely through the Järvi-Suomi (Lake Finland) region, requiring the clearing of trees and crossing farmland.

Väisänen, who owns a summer cottage in Laukaa, believes that Järvi-Suomi is a source of national pride and should be protected. His concerns extend beyond the natural landscape to the significant electricity consumption and potential emissions associated with data centers. He estimates that the planned data centers in Finland would require electricity equivalent to that of two large nuclear power plants.

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Data centers have been sold to us with renewable energy, but how will it be in the future?

Concerns are also raised about the energy sources powering these centers. While often marketed as using renewable energy, Väisänen pointed to plans for a natural gas power plant in Lappeenranta, which is also building a large data center. He suspects the data center's energy demands will influence the operation of the gas plant, potentially undermining efforts to move away from fossil fuels.

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"Dayonen Tiktokin aivomätädatakeskus!" (Dayone's TikTok brain-rot data center!)

The protesters advocate for locating data centers in areas with existing wind power, such as Ostrobothnia, rather than in scenic regions like Järvi-Suomi. They also highlighted the use of backup generators, noting that the TikTok data center in Koria is set to have 66 such units. Each generator consumes a substantial amount of fuel, raising worries about air quality in the surrounding area during power outages.

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If it happens that there is no electricity for the data centers, society allows them to spew all the exhaust fumes of this whole region.