The agreement for selecting the hyperscaler that will set up and manage PPC’s major data center in Kozani is expected to be finalized in the next 3-6 months — an investment aiming to transform Western Macedonia into an energy and digital hub of Southeastern Europe.The selected company will install and operate the IT infrastructure, while PPC will contribute the land, buildings, energy infrastructure, and long-term power supply through contracts exceeding 10 years. Negotiations with interested hyperscalers have matured significantly after months of discussions. The first phase of the project concerns a 300 MW data center, with a total investment of approximately 3.5 billion euros, of which PPC is expected to contribute around 1.2 billion. Provided timelines are met, construction could begin as early as 2026, while the project is expected to be completed in 2028. In a second phase, the facility’s capacity could reach up to 1 GW, supported by a broad energy ecosystem including natural gas units, hydroelectric plants, solar farms, high- and extra-high-voltage networks, as well as telecommunications infrastructure.The plan is part of PPC’s new strategic roadmap for 2026–2030, where data centers emerge as one of the company’s key growth pillars.According to the business plan, PPC believes it can cover the energy needs of data centers with a total capacity of up to 2 GW in Greece — investments that could potentially reach 20 billion euros. At the same time, the “export” of the model is being considered to markets in Central and Eastern Europe where the company is already active or plans to expand. The timing is considered particularly favorable. Global demand for data centers is expected to surge to 163 GW by 2030 from 46 GW in 2020, driven primarily by the artificial intelligence boom.In Europe, specifically, demand is expected to reach 28 GW by the end of the decade, while the existing project pipeline leaves a gap of around 11 GW — part of which PPC aims to fill.  (ICE ATENE)

Fonte notizia: amna.gr