Tønsberg

Overview

Tønsberg hosts 14 concession cases and 23 active grid queue positions, reflecting strong developer interest across solar generation, data centres, hydrogen and battery storage. The municipality's energy future is closely tied to Statnett's planned new 420 kV Tønsberg transformer station at Gulliåsen and the Bamble–Porsgrunn–Tønsberg voltage upgrade, which together will significantly expand transmission capacity. Tveiten TRA is the dominant grid connection point, with a pipeline of over 420 MW of consumption (data centres, hydrogen, battery) and nearly 230 MW of solar production queued or reserved.

Recent Activity

In July 2026, Haukeveien Holding AS entered the grid connection queue at Tveiten TRA seeking 90 MW of consumption capacity for a new data centre, adding to an already substantial cluster of digital infrastructure projects queued at this substation.

Key Substations

Municipality Stance

No explicit municipal policy position is evident from the available data, but the volume and diversity of active concession applications and grid queue reservations suggest a permissive local environment for energy development. The ongoing Statnett grid expansion projects indicate institutional support for increased capacity.

Outlook

Tønsberg's outlook is strongly positive for solar developers and digital infrastructure investors, with Tveiten TRA serving as the key access point for near-term connections. The planned 420 kV upgrade and new Gulliåsen transformer station will materially expand capacity in the medium term, potentially unlocking further large-scale consumption projects. The one solar withdrawal (Skagerak Kraft, 21 MW) is minor relative to the overall pipeline, and the Barkåker solar concession withdrawal (2023) is now historical context. Developers should monitor the progression of the Statnett transmission projects, as grid reinforcement timelines will dictate when queued consumption capacity becomes available.