Finland’s power network manager Fingrid Oyj said the power demand in the country is set to grow as much as 40% over the next five years, led by planned data centers.

Boilers producing heat and energy storage projects also contribute to the demand that’s risen so much that it’s caused a logjam in the processing of grid connection applications, the Helsinki-based company said on its website Friday.

More than 5 gigawatts of data center projects have signed grid connections by mid-October, including in distribution networks, Fingrid said. That’s more than the combined output of Finland’s five nuclear reactors, which is about 4.4 gigawatts.

The surge is part of a broader wave of data-center developments that is reshaping power markets across Europe and the US as artificial intelligence and cloud computing drive demand for vast amounts of electricity. Projects are competing for scarce grid capacity and are forcing network operators to accelerate investment, while raising questions over who gets priority to the network.

Boiler projects being built and operated account for more than 3 gigawatts, although facilities are usually run at lower capacity, Fingrid said. Energy storage projects in the pipeline total almost 6 gigawatts.

If all the planned projects are realized, electricity consumption will increase by as much as 40% relative to last year’s level.

Finland’s government is working on a law that would give critical infrastructure projects a priority for grid connections over facilities like data centers. It also on Thursday proposed tightening foreign direct investment rules by requiring permits for certain projects, such as data centers of 100 megawatts or more, and AI and quantum computing processing.