The Environment and Energy Ministry and the Digital Governance Ministry are laying out a plan for 5-billion-euro investments in data centers in Greece by 2030 based on a study prepared by PWC.
Although the final figures of the consulting company’s study, which is expected to be delivered around the end of February, are still pending, the initial estimates point to investments in new data centers with a capacity of around 200 MW according to the conservative scenario and 400-500 MW according to the optimistic one. This amounts to a total investment of 2-5 billion euros, taking into account that the construction cost per Megawatt is around 10 million euros.
The announced investment proposals, according to sources with knowledge of the industry who spoke to “N”, justify the conservative scenario and advocate for the optimistic scenario, however, as they added, everything is subject to the necessary infrastructure that will support such investments, as well as other factors that need to be taken into account in order to ensure the long-term viability and functionality of these investments.
The fact is that investments in data centers need time to mature as well as parallel movements so that large fiber optic cable systems can make a stop in our country. Moreover, planning is needed to ensure the energy that is necessary, as well as the development of a supportive ecosystem in combination with strong demand for the services offered.
The ultimate goal
In this direction, the PWC’s study, as reported by competent sources, aims at a certain standardization of the criteria that will determine the spatial planning of such investments, thus facilitating investment interest. In this way, the obstacle of bureaucracy that every investor encounters in the licensing and installation process will be surpassed, as well as the work of the managers of the electricity distribution and transmission networks (HEDNO and IPTO) who will be called upon to organize the emerging investment interest which is expected to be strong in the coming years.
