Greece’s prospect of becoming a regional telecommunications hub with a multitude of data center infrastructures is confirmed by the latest estimates of IPTO for the potential of the National Electricity Transmission System to host data centers in the coming years.
In particular, as reported by “N”, plans for the development of data centers in the Greek territory are reasonable and feasible, with the Regions of Thessaly and Western Macedonia “leading” with the ability to host power units of 650MW and 700 MW, respectively.
In fact, according to the available data, in these regions, high-power data centers of 300 MW can be developed, which makes them particularly attractive to investors planning large-scale projects. The “top 5” regions with the highest capacity are completed by Central Macedonia with 500 MW, Central Greece with 500 MW and Epirus-Western Greece with 400 MW.
For example, PPC, within the framework of a holistic plan to revitalize its lignite mines in Western Macedonia and the region as a whole, is planning, among other things, the development of a 300 MW data center with an open “option” to expand it to 1 GW if there is a corresponding interest.
The creation of a 1 GW giga data center could be a game changer, not only for PPC, but also for Greece more broadly, to the extent that it would support the country’s narrative to become a connectivity hub in Southeastern Europe, taking advantage of its geographical location at the crossroads of three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa).
In light of the above, any multiple data center infrastructures in the Greek territory are expected to function catalytically in this direction, which stands out in the relevant elaboration of the Ministry of Digital Governance that is examining the issue. It is recalled that according to a recent report by “N”, the Ministry of Digital Governance as the most competent for these issues and in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Energy have commissioned a study to the consulting firm PWC in order to come up with a “roadmap” for the creation and installation of data centers in Greece.
In a first assessment, as reported by competent sources with knowledge of the matter who spoke to “N”, the electrical system shows considerable room for accommodating such units, and indeed scattered throughout the regions of the country, with Crete and Attica ranked at the bottom of the list with 100 MW and 250 MW, respectively.
