Published 2026-10-27 · Event 2026-03-24 · The editorial team

Torsås granted SunSpark a positive planning decision for a data centre at Söderåkra

Torsås municipal executive committee gave SunSpark Nordic AB a positive planning decision on 24 March 2026 for a data centre of about 10,000 square metres on the property Övraby 1:98 in Söderåkra. The site is 2.6 hectares of pasture. In September the municipality registered new site proposals from the company. No power capacity is given.

The decision is item 74 in the minutes of Torsås municipal executive committee of 24 March 2026, case 2026/000064. The committee decided to grant a positive planning decision for a data centre on the property Övraby 1:98. It also told the head of building and environment to sign a plan-cost agreement with the developer. The working committee had proposed the same on 10 March (item 46). The minutes were signed on 26 March and posted until 17 April.

According to the minutes, SunSpark Nordic AB applied for a planning decision for a data centre of about 10,000 square metres. The area is 2.6 hectares and is used as pasture today. No natural values or ancient remains are registered there. The buildings in the row village along Pårydsvägen have cultural value. The data centre is expected to employ 50 to 60 people, plus about ten people for ongoing management, service, finance and monitoring.

The minutes describe the company's business idea as linking solar parks with data centres and district heating. The solar cells power the data centre and its surplus heat goes to the district heating system. The company also wants to combine the site with a charging point for electric cars in Söderåkra. According to the minutes, it has also applied for a larger solar park of 167 hectares. That application is being handled by the county administrative board.

The building and environment department judged that the chosen alternative has the least impact on the landscape. One of the existing farm buildings nearby is about 8,000 square metres. Using farmland requires a study of alternative sites, to be done within the detailed-plan work. The area lies within a larger national interest for total defence and is an impact zone for a weather radar. Connection to district heating and municipal water and sewage at Pårydsvägen is possible.

The detailed plan is to be drawn up by a qualified planning consultant at the applicant's expense. The department lists five studies as needed at this stage: a siting study for farmland, a general geotechnical survey, a noise study for fans, a traffic study and an analysis of landscape and buildings. The company had asked the municipality to request an early opinion from the county administrative board. The municipality said it would not, since its ordinary early consultation is judged sufficient.

The municipal register shows three new documents in the case on 7 September 2026: a forwarded proposal from SunSpark on the siting of the data centre, a document titled "Torsås Övraby 1_98 4,5ha" and one whose title, in translation, reads "new 15.2 hectares with about 6 ha of building area". The documents are not published. A search of the register on 27 October found no plan-cost agreement with the company.

The decision was taken in March; DataCenterSweden has now fetched the minutes from the municipal register and added the project. The municipal documents give no power capacity, grid connection, investment figure or timetable.

Why it matters

A positive planning decision opens detailed-plan work but is not a permit. The minutes show a developer pairing a data centre with its own solar park and local district heating in a small municipality. It is the second project in Kalmar County in the register.

What remains unknown

The data centre's power capacity, grid connection, investment and timetable are not given. The content of the September site proposals is not published, and it is not known whether a plan-cost agreement has been signed or a detailed plan started.

Sources