Greece’s proposed data-centre rules would impose an annual €15,000 per MW levy on new facilities and require developers to secure electricity from new domestic renewable generation. The measures would add recurring costs and electricity-supply obligations to artificial intelligence infrastructure investments. They form part of electricity-market legislation submitted to parliament on October 31 and remain subject to approval.
Under the proposal, data-centre operators would pay for their grid connections, provide financial guarantees of €200,000 per MW and cover at least 60% of annual electricity consumption with qualifying new renewable generation. For a 100 MW facility, the annual levy would be €1.5 million, alongside a €20 million grid-connection guarantee and the cost of associated electrical infrastructure. The guarantee is financial security, not an upfront non-refundable fee, although obtaining it could tie up liquidity or banking capacity during development.
The framework would shift more responsibility for new electricity capacity, network costs and benefits to local communities onto developers, rather than relying on conventional grid-access approvals. For infrastructure investors, financing a data centre would increasingly require coordination between computing infrastructure, dedicated electricity supply and long-term network-access rights. The proposed requirements would make the timing of those components part of the investment decision.
Annual levy adds a capacity-based operating cost
The proposed levy would be based on a data centre’s maximum electricity-consumption capacity and become payable when the facility starts operating. Its proceeds would benefit residential electricity consumers and municipalities in areas hosting the installations, sharing part of the financial benefits of large digital infrastructure investments with local communities. The charge would depend on contracted or installed consumption capacity, rather than electricity actually used during the year.
A 100 MW data centre would pay €1.5 million a year, or €15 million over ten years if the regulatory framework did not change. A 300 MW installation would owe €4.5 million annually. These payments would be separate from electricity procurement, network tariffs, maintenance, cooling infrastructure and other operating expenditure.
Because the levy would apply to reserved capacity, it could affect site selection, investment returns and infrastructure leasing arrangements before a facility reaches full commercial utilisation. It would also become a recurring item in financial models for new projects. Data centres already operating and connected to the electricity network would be excluded.
New renewable generation must cover 60% of demand
The draft requires renewable energy to cover at least 60% of a data centre’s annual electricity consumption. Qualifying electricity would have to come from new generation installations connected to Greece’s interconnected electricity system. This would prevent developers from meeting the obligation solely with output from existing renewable facilities.
Eligible installations would have to satisfy defined development conditions and begin operating no later than the date the data centre is energised. If the required generation or associated storage infrastructure were not operational, energisation of the data centre could be suspended until the obligations were met. The legislation would also restrict operating subsidies for the portion of qualifying generation and storage capacity used to meet the data-centre requirements.
The renewable share would be assessed annually, without mandatory hourly matching between generation and consumption. That approach allows more flexibility in electricity procurement while still requiring substantial development and contractual commitments. Under specified conditions, including arrangements involving non-solar renewable technologies or generation combined with storage, a ministerial decision could adjust the required share.
Renewable procurement would therefore need to be built into the initial development structure rather than settled after construction of the data centre. The operating timetable for the computing facility would also depend on delivery of the qualifying electricity supply. A delay to that supply could postpone the start of commercial operations.
Grid applications require guarantees and developer-funded works
Developers applying for grid-connection capacity would have to provide a financial guarantee of €200,000 per MW. The requirement is intended to deter speculative applications that reserve scarce network capacity without adequate evidence of financial or technical maturity. A 200 MW application would require a €40 million guarantee, while a 300 MW project would require €60 million.
Applications would also face stricter documentation requirements covering project maturity, financial capacity, land rights and permitting. Developers would bear the full cost of connection works and network reinforcements required exclusively by their facilities. Their financing plans would consequently need to cover construction, electricity-network works, credit support for capacity applications and long-term power procurement as distinct obligations.
Lenders would need to assess those commitments alongside the creditworthiness of prospective computing customers and the timetable for filling the facility. Securing land and technology partners would not remove development risk if electricity infrastructure could not be completed on schedule. Likewise, a late renewable-generation project could defer operating revenue for the entire investment.
Connections above 200 MW face additional conditions
The draft provides special treatment for grid-connection applications exceeding 200 MW. Such applications could receive priority assessment if accompanied by qualifying new dispatchable generation or electricity-storage infrastructure meeting specified technical and capacity requirements. Subject to detailed eligibility rules, that infrastructure would have to correspond to at least 80% of the data centre’s proposed maximum electricity-consumption capacity.
The provision addresses the demands that large, continuous electricity loads can place on transmission infrastructure. For major international investors, priority assessment could mean financing substantial energy infrastructure alongside a digital facility. It could favour developers experienced in coordinating complex electricity and industrial projects and create opportunities for partnerships among data-centre operators, electricity utilities and infrastructure funds.
Priority assessment would not, however, guarantee available grid capacity or completion of the associated investments. Developers would still have to deliver the qualifying infrastructure and satisfy the applicable connection requirements. The scale and timing of those works would remain material to a large project.
Banks must assess electricity and computing risks together
The proposed framework could change how banks evaluate data-centre investments. Financing assessments have traditionally focused on construction expenditure, equipment, customer contracts, operational reliability and long-term infrastructure revenue. Under the Greek proposal, lenders would also need to examine renewable-generation schedules, grid-connection guarantees, network reinforcement costs and the risk of delayed energisation.
Coordination between electricity and computing infrastructure would be particularly important where a renewable project is tied to a data centre’s ability to start operating. A delay to that project could prevent commercial operations even if the building and computing equipment were complete. Technical due diligence would therefore need to cover electricity-load studies, connection agreements, renewable procurement arrangements and construction-interface risks.
Financing agreements might also require clearer provisions on delays, completion tests, contingent liabilities and responsibility for meeting electricity-supply obligations. Developers able to arrange coordinated financing for digital facilities and electricity infrastructure could be better placed under the proposed rules. The assessment would extend beyond the data-centre building to the assets needed to power it.
Regional investors compare grid access and infrastructure costs
Greece’s proposal has implications for Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Montenegro, where data-centre and digital-infrastructure investment could become a growing source of electricity demand. Their electricity systems, regulatory frameworks and levels of infrastructure readiness differ. Investors comparing locations would need to consider more than power prices and land availability.
Grid-connection certainty, reliable electricity supply, telecommunications infrastructure, regulation and the financial cost of securing capacity could all become decisive. In Serbia, the Greek proposal provides a reference for assessing large industrial and digital investments in a market where grid availability and the timing of network development are important constraints. Romania and Bulgaria could compete for regional data-centre projects, supported by EU market access and established industrial infrastructure.
Montenegro’s potential would depend on the scale and location of suitable projects and whether additional demand could be served without disproportionate network investment. The Greek requirements would not apply in these neighbouring markets. They nevertheless illustrate a possible approach under which electricity-intensive projects bear a greater share of the infrastructure costs they create.
Electricity access becomes part of the investment structure
For data-centre developers, reliable electricity access is becoming an infrastructure asset requiring dedicated financing, regulatory approvals and long-term contracts. The commercial role of electricity companies could extend beyond supplying megawatt-hours. Utilities and infrastructure developers could prepare grid-ready sites, develop qualifying generation, build electrical infrastructure and structure integrated investments with international technology companies.
Banks and infrastructure funds could place particular value on projects demonstrating secure electricity access, coordinated generation development and credible long-term computing demand. Although the proposed levy and renewable requirements would increase recurring costs and development complexity, they could also help distinguish financially credible projects from speculative applications for scarce grid capacity. The legislation’s final provisions and implementation rules would determine its full financial consequences.
For Southeast Europe, competition for data-centre investment could therefore depend less on the lowest electricity price than on dependable, financeable infrastructure delivered within the timetable required by international technology investors. Grid capacity, electricity supply and regulatory obligations are becoming central to the bankability of AI infrastructure projects. Greece’s proposed framework would bring those requirements directly into data-centre development and financing.
