Blockchain technology company Bitfury announced it will open an “energy efficient” datacenter in Norway March 20 in a deal with the blessing of the government.
In a blog post, the business confirmed it would open two sites around the town of Mo i Rana, investing 274 million kronor ($35 mln) in infrastructure and hiring 30 employees.
The move comes at a time when Bitcoin mining in particular is under scrutiny for its environmental impact and wasteful manufacturing process.
Commenting on the datacenter, Norway’s Minister of Trade and Industry Røe Isaksen said he was “delighted” Bitfury had opted to set up in the country.
“Data will become an increasingly important resource for the business community as well as for society in general,” the blog post quotes him.
“This represents a major economic opportunity for Norwegian businesses. The datacenter industry is growing fast, and provides Norway with opportunities of economic growth and new jobs.”
The company added it was “purchasing about 350 GWh of 100% renewable energy per year from local supplier Helgeland Kraft” to power the datacenter.
A tweet claimed the Norwegian government was in an “official partnership” with Bitfury, but neither the accompanying post nor local press confirmed the relationship.
Cointelegraph reported March 19 that a group of Russian cryptocurrency industry figures were seeking to make miners turn off their equipment for an hour in honor of Earth Hour March 24.