A defence company in Norway is unable to make ammunition. Why is it blaming TikTok's cat videos for it?

Ukraine’s request for more ammunition from Europe in its war against Russia has hit an unusual roadblock. No, it’s not because a country is unwilling to produce more ammunition nor is it a case of shortage of material. The reason behind the lag in supply of ammunition is TikTok. A defence company in Norway has said that it is unable to expand its factory and make ammunition because a nearby data centre, which has TikTok as its main client, is using up all the electricity in the region. Let’s take a closer look at how the video-sharing app is a hurdle in Ukraine’s war efforts. TikTok and Norway’s Nammo Defence company Nammo, which is co-owned by the Norwegian government and a defence company in Finland, is at the heart of the issue. In an interview to UK newspaper Financial Times, Nammo chief executive, Morten Brandtzæg, said, “We are concerned because we see our future growth is challenged by the storage of cat videos.” His statement came in the backdrop of his company’s Raufoss plant not being able to expand its production. This was because TikTok’s new data centre nearby is using up all the electricity. Elvia, the local energy company that supplies electricity to the region, confirmed that there was no spare capacity after allocating it to the data centre on a first-come, first-served basis. This means that currently electricity is first provided to the data centre — whose biggest client is TikTok — and then to the defence company. Moreover, Elvia was quoted as telling Forbes that it would take a good amount of time — years — to strengthen the electrical transmission network, which means that Nammo would have to wait to boost its own capacity and production. This, in turn, will hurt Ukraine as it struggles for more ammunition. Interestingly, TikTok plans to open three data centres in Norway, with an option to construct two more by 2025. Of the three in the pipeline, two are in the Hamar region of Norway — very close to the Raufoss plant. This could affect the power supply even in the future. When asked if he thought the Chinese-owned company TikTok was stopping the defence company’s expansion, Brandtzæg told the Financial Times: “I will not rule out that it’s not by pure coincidence that this activity is close to a defence company. I can’t rule it out.” He further added that “critical industry must have access to energy”. “I don’t think it’s a one-off, I think it’s a trend for the future.” It is important to note here that earlier this week, Norwegian parliament had announced that it was banning TikTok on phones for ministers and officials. Ammo supply to Ukraine Nammo, formed in 1998, is one of Europe’s largest ammunition manufacturers. While there’s no confirmation if Nammo supplies ammunition to Ukraine currently, a look at its 2021 annual report reveals that most of its customer base are countries in the European Union and part of NATO . These are the same countries that are providing munitions to Ukraine to fend off the Russian aggression. Brandtzæg has, however, stated that the demand for artillery rounds was 15 times higher than normal — a trend driven by the war in Ukraine, which has featured heavy artillery use. [caption id=“attachment_12385862” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Ukrainian troops fire the German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000 in fighting against Russia’s invasion, near Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. The country currently fires around 6,000 shells each day in the war. File image/Reuters[/caption] Ukraine’s use of ammunition has spiked substantially. In fact, the nation said that it would like to increase its daily usage of rounds from 6,000 to 65,000. To meet that end, its allies have been supplying Ukraine with more ammunition. A report published by TIME said that to date, the US has supplied Ukraine with more than one million 155-millimeter shells, the NATO-standard artillery shell. EU countries, in the meantime, have already supplied Ukraine with about 350,000 155-millimetre shells in total. **Also read: Stryker combat vehicles, Patriot missiles, Challenger 2 tanks and more: A breakdown of military aid promised to Ukraine** But it’s still not enough. Hence, earlier in March, more than a dozen European Union member states agreed to supply Ukraine with at least one million artillery shells , worth €2 billion (Rs 17,891 crore), over the next year. The deal came as Ukraine continues to fend off Russia in the bloody battle in Bakhmut . Ukraine foreign minister had praised the EU countries for the deal and said, it was “exactly what is needed”. The plan is two-phased; the first part commits €1 billion of shared funding for EU states to draw upon their existing stockpiles, according to BBC. The second part would see a further €1 billion used to jointly order 155 mm shells for Ukraine — the most sought-after artillery rounds. As Rob Bauer, NATO’s top military officer, told Bloomberg, “War is about stocks. About your ability to continue the fight as long as it takes.” The war also is raising questions about how long can EU countries also dip into their stockpiles to supply Ukraine with ammunition without making themselves vulnerable. [caption id=“attachment_12385892” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People calling for the banning of TikTok at the Capitol in Washington. AP[/caption] TikTok woes The emergence of this news will be another strike against the video-sharing app, which is currently fighting bans across the world, including the United States and Canada. The app, which is owned by the Chinese company Bytedance, has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government and that its data is not held in China. It also disputes accusations that it collects more user data than other social media companies, and insists that it is run independently by its own management. **Also read: US, UK, New Zealand and more... Why are these countries banning TikTok?** However, countries remain wary of Chinese interference and are implementing total or partial bans on the app. India is one of the few countries where there’s a total ban on the app. The US, Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan, UK among others have restricted the app for its ministers and government officials. In fact, TikTok CEO Chew Zi Shou appeared before a US Congress panel last week and defended his app and stated, “ByteDance (the parent company which owns TikTok) is not an agent of China or any other country.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.