Reported transformer fire at Nscale's Glomfjord data centre site, Norway

What happened

Nscale's data centre project at Glomfjord, Norway, is reportedly running six months behind schedule, according to a Bloomberg report citing people close to the project and public records, as relayed by DatacenterDynamics. The reported problems include construction delays, local regulations, leaks in the cooling system and a transformer fire. The source does not give the date, cause or extent of the transformer fire, and Nscale had not confirmed the report when DatacenterDynamics published. At the time of reporting, 6.4MW of the planned 30MW was reported as operational. To house construction workers nearby, the company reportedly towed the Kalmar floating hotel to the site.

Contributing factors

No cause for the transformer fire is reported. The source describes construction delays, local regulations and cooling system leaks at the project but does not link them to the fire.

Lessons learned

1. Transformer fires at data centre sites under construction or commissioning are a reminder to confirm fire protection and oil containment before equipment is energised.
2. Operators should check that transformer protection and emergency response plans are in place before temporary loads are connected.
3. Schedule slippage on a power-intensive build is a reason to review commissioning sequence and equipment condition.

More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, from every incident on the register.

Source

datacenterdynamics.com