What Drangedal kommune does

Drangedal kommune is a Norwegian municipality (kommune number 4016, organization number 933 277 461) located in Telemark county, Norway, with its main service office at Gudbrandsveien 7, 3750 Drangedal. It is a public government entity governed by an elected municipal council under Norwegian law, operating with Mayor Stina A. Sætre and senior staff including Kommunalsjef Gøran Heimdal, Kultursjef Johnny G. Stene, and Biblioteksjef Lasse Robertsen. The municipality delivers the full suite of statutory local government services to its residents: health and welfare (home nursing, NAV, child welfare, refugee services, health stations), education (schools, kindergartens, SFO, adult education, PPT), culture and leisure (library with 23,000 books / 1,500 DVDs / 500 audiobooks, cultural school, youth and sports programs, the meråpent open library service, and Tokestua), planning and building permits, road/water/sewage infrastructure, fire inspection, and administrative functions. It also shares services with neighboring municipalities through the Grenlandssamarbeidet, including a joint data protection officer.

The municipality operates on a tax-and-grant funding model rather than a commercial revenue model; only specific services carry fees (e.g., building permits per gebyrregulativ), and public access to documents is free under offentleglova. Distribution occurs through a physical service office, central phone line (35 99 70 00), email ([email protected]), the digital self-service portal, and the e-Dialog transparency system.

In 2024, Drangedal became the host site for a strategically significant AI infrastructure project: Polar DC developed DRA01, a 12 MW modular AI/HPC data center at Varpet in Tørdal, with Crusoe as primary tenant and CBRE as operator employing approximately 20 local staff. The facility, powered by renewable hydroelectric energy, became operational in Q1 2026 and won 'Most Successful, Executed Data Centre' at the Data Centre World Awards 2026 in London; a Phase 2 building permit for ~4,600 m² was issued in June 2026. To capture local economic spillover, the municipality operates the DRIV (Drangedal i vekst) transformation and business development program, connecting local suppliers to data center contracts, coordinating workforce training, and partnering with Drangedal kraft on energy infrastructure and Sweco on waste-heat utilization analysis. A circular-economy subsidy scheme via Telemark fylkeskommune extends this effort regionally.

Name

Drangedal kommune

Legal name

Drangedal kommune

Website

https://drangedal.kommune.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Drangedal kommune is a Norwegian municipality in Telemark county providing statutory public services — healthcare, education, culture, infrastructure, and planning — to its residents, while hosting the DRA01 AI data center at Varpet and running the DRIV economic transformation program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Drangedal

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Drangedal kommune is a Norwegian municipality that delivers statutory public services to its residents across health and welfare, education and childcare, culture and library, planning and building, and infrastructure (roads, water, drainage). It also operates a business development program (DRIV) and has facilitated the siting of a 12 MW AI data center (DRA01) at Varpet in Tørdal. Services are delivered through a service office, phone/email, digital self-service, and an e-Dialog transparency portal.

Product overview

Drangedal kommune operates as a traditional Norwegian municipality offering citizen services through its official website. The municipal service portal provides access to core government functions including health and welfare, education, culture and leisure, planning and building permits, infrastructure services, and administrative services. The municipality has also partnered with Polar DC to host a significant AI data center infrastructure project (DRA01) at Varpet in Tørdal, representing a major technology initiative. The DRIV program supports local business development, particularly positioning enterprises as suppliers to the data center operation. Key service modules include public records access (postjournal), digital help services, and extended library access through the meråpent (open library) program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DRIV: The municipality's business development and restructuring program focused on local economic growth and opportunities from the data center establishment.

Products and services

• Health and Welfare Services Municipal health, social welfare, NAV, housing, health station, child welfare, and refugee services delivered to residents under Norwegian law.
• Education and Childcare Services Municipal schools, kindergartens, SFO (after-school care), adult education (Voksenopplæring), and PPT (psychological-educational service) for children, youth, and adults.
• Culture and Library Services Library, cultural school, youth programs, sports, outdoor recreation, subsidies, public health initiatives, and the Tokestua facility, including the Meråpent (open library) extended-hours service for users aged 16+ (07:00-23:00).
• Planning and Building Services Municipal planning, land surveying, building permits (byggesak), property tax assessment (eiendomsskatt), mapping tools, and fire inspection (branntilsyn).
• Road, Water and Drainage Services Infrastructure services including water and drainage connections, water meters, discharge permits, waste management (renovasjon), emptying, excavation permits, operations, and parks maintenance.
• Public Records and Transparency System (Postjournal) Public access to official documents, correspondence, and municipal records via the postjournal and e-Dialog transparency portal under Norway's Public Access to Information Act (offentleglova). Free of charge.
• DRIV Business Development Program Municipal business development initiative helping local businesses position themselves as suppliers to the data center and other international operators; coordinates workforce training and economic development.
• Digital Help Service Digital assistance service helping citizens navigate and access online municipal services.
• Municipal Emergency Preparedness and Climate/Environment Services Environmental health protection (miljøretta helsevern), coastal lottery (kystlotteriet), Grenland environment and health cooperation, environmental portal (miljøportalen), and emergency preparedness including wildfire risk alerts.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Polar DCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Polar DC is developing a 12 MW AI data center (DRA01) at Varpet in Tørdal, Drangedal. Construction began in 2024 and first phase completed in 2026. This is a major economic development project for the municipality, expected to create local jobs and business opportunities. The facility is specifically designed for AI and high-performance computing workloads.
• CBREcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024CBRE has been contracted by Polar DC to operate and manage the data center facility. Approximately 20 people have been hired locally to operate the facility. CBRE is one of the world's leading companies in commercial real estate services and investment.
• CrusoecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Crusoe is the primary tenant at the Polar DC data center in Drangedal. This American company specializes in energy-efficient, environmentally friendly AI solutions. The Drangedal facility represents Crusoe's strategic expansion into Europe.
• Drangedal i vekst (Driv)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRIV is Drangedal's transformation and business development program, working to maximize local economic benefits from the data center development. They connect local businesses with supplier opportunities, coordinate workforce training, and facilitate local economic development initiatives.
• Drangedal kraftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal power company collaborating with the municipality and data center developers. Involved in the energy infrastructure for the data center project.
• Telemark fylkeskommuneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelemark County Municipality has established a new subsidy scheme for actors wishing to explore establishing circular economy hubs and value chains in Telemark, including Drangedal.
• GrenlandssamarbeidetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation between municipalities in the Grenland region, sharing services including a joint data protection officer (personvernombud). Drangedal participates in this regional collaboration for efficiency and shared services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vinje kommune: Neighboring Telemark municipality in the upper Telemark region, with similar rural characteristics and regional cooperation profile. Comparable as a peer municipality pursuing economic diversification in a rural Telemark context.
• Nome kommune: Neighboring Telemark municipality in the Grenland region, sharing services through Grenlandssamarbeidet. Comparable as a mid-sized Telemark municipality pursuing economic diversification in a similar rural-industrial context.
• Fyresdal kommune: Neighboring small Telemark municipality with a comparable rural service profile. Comparable in scale, population base, and economic structure as a small Telemark municipality.
• Bø kommune (Telemark): Telemark municipality with a university presence (University of South-Eastern Norway) and similar rural service delivery profile. Comparable as a Telemark municipality balancing traditional services with economic development initiatives.
• Tinn kommune: Telemark municipality with a similar rural profile, industrial heritage, and reliance on regional cooperation. Comparable as a peer municipality in the same county navigating demographic and economic transformation.
• Tokke kommune: Neighboring small municipality in Telemark county with a comparable rural population, service portfolio, and regional context. Directly comparable as a peer municipality in the same county facing similar demographic and economic development challenges.
• Kviteseid kommune: Neighboring small Telemark municipality with a similar rural profile and service delivery model. Comparable in scale, economic base, and reliance on regional cooperation for service efficiency.

Emerging players

• Stad kommune: Norwegian municipality hosting the Lefdal Mine Datacenter, one of Europe's largest data centers. Comparable as a small-to-mid Norwegian municipality leveraging data center hosting as a regional economic development strategy.
• Ringerike kommune: Norwegian municipality that has attracted data center investments (notably adjacent to the Oslo region). Comparable as a Norwegian municipality pursuing data center hosting for local economic development and tax base expansion.

Broad incumbents

• Skien kommune: Larger regional center in Telemark county, also participating in Grenlandssamarbeidet. Comparable as a Telemark municipality with broader service portfolio and shared regional cooperation framework, though at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drangedal
• Facebookfacebook.com/drangedalkommune
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drangedal-kommune
• Instagraminstagram.com/drangedalkommune

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Drangedal kommune