Greek state-owned utility Public Power Corp (PPC) has unveiled a plan to develop data centers in former lignite mines in Western Macedonia.
The project, which is expected to represent an investment of €5 billion ($5.38bn), will involve the construction of a 300MW data center as part of its first phase. The utility indicated that the data center could subsequently be upgraded to 1GW.
The data center will be powered by natural gas and solar, and feature a battery energy storage system (BESS), and pumped hydropower storage.
PPC intends to convert its last operational coal-fired plant, Ptolemaida 5, into a 350MW natural gas facility with the ability to burn hydrogen. The decision follows an announcement by the utility that it intends to fully phase out coal-fired power by 2026.
In addition, the utility intends to develop 1.3GW of solar power on the sites of the Amyndaio and Ptolemaida mines, as well as install a 300MW BESS and two pumped storage hydropower projects with a capacity of 320MW and 240MW.
PPC said it is in talks with several potential partners for the data center.
In recent months, PPC has increasingly targeted the data center sector as an area of growth. Late last year, in a joint venture with data center developer Edgnex, it announced plans to develop a 12.5MW data center in Athens, Greece.
The first phase will see a €150 million ($161.5m) investment to develop the initial 12.5MW of capacity, with plans to scale up to 25MW in subsequent phases.
