3i Infrastructure acquires majority stake in Norway’s Lefdal Mine Datacenter for €300 million

3i Infrastructure has committed €300 million to acquire a majority stake in Norway's Lefdal Mine Datacenter (LMD), marking its entry into the data center sector. This acquisition provides 3i Infrastructure with 80 MW of IT load capacity within a uniquely positioned facility located in a former mine in Måløy, Norway. The commercial logic for 3i Infrastructure centers on diversifying its $4.8 billion net asset portfolio into a new infrastructure segment. LMD's offering of up to 200 MW of IT load and 120,000 m² of space, powered entirely by renewables, presents a significant scale opportunity for the London-listed investor. This transaction allows 3i Infrastructure to capitalize on the demand for secure, sustainable data solutions, leveraging LMD's specific attributes. For 3i Infrastructure, this deal diversifies its approximately $4.8 billion net asset portfolio as of March 2024, adding a significant asset in a new technology sector. Columbia Threadneedle Investments, a global asset manager overseeing $632 billion in AUM globally and over $10 billion specifically in infrastructure assets, exits its position in LMD, likely realizing value from its investment in the Norwegian facility. LMD, as the seller of the majority stake, gains a new strategic partner in 3i Infrastructure, which can support the further development of its 200 MW potential capacity in Måløy. The transaction, announced on 2026-03-11, demonstrates the attractiveness of large-scale, sustainably powered infrastructure assets in the Nordic region for institutional investors.