PPC and AWS have signed a memorandum on Sept. 17 to develop a data centre at Agios Dimitrios in Western Macedonia. The initial electricity supply capacity is set at 300 MW, with potential expansion up to 1 GW. AWS would lease the completed facility for 15 years, while PPC would also supply renewable electricity under long-term power purchase agreements.
Under the agreement, PPC is responsible for providing the land, buildings and supporting energy infrastructure. AWS will install and operate the IT equipment for the campus. The project is framed as more significant for the regional electricity market than another large data-centre announcement.
Site package built around power infrastructure and grid access
PPC’s role combines land, existing power infrastructure, generation, grid access and telecommunications into a single offering for an energy-intensive digital customer. The memorandum links the project’s structure to constraints faced by data-centre development across Europe, where securing hundreds of megawatts of firm electricity capacity is increasingly a key limitation. Data-centre developers have traditionally prioritised fibre connectivity, land, taxation and proximity to customers.
A hyperscale campus requiring 300 MW is described as a demand block comparable with a substantial industrial plant. Expansion toward 1 GW would create an electricity consumer at a scale comparable with some of Southeast Europe’s largest generating units. Securing such demand through a conventional greenfield grid connection can require years of transmission investment.
The Agios Dimitrios site is located within an established power-generation area with substantial electricity infrastructure and around 300,000 square metres of land controlled by PPC. PPC has said it plans to supply much of the campus using a behind-the-meter energy model that combines local generation and flexibility resources while retaining access to the wider electricity system. This approach is intended to change how additional load is met relative to relying entirely on transmission network reinforcement.
PPC ownership model separates digital operations from powered infrastructure
The commercial structure also reflects a shift in PPC’s business model. The group does not intend to operate AWS’s computing equipment, according to the memorandum framework. Instead, PPC would own and develop the physical data-centre infrastructure and generate recurring revenue through property leasing, electricity supply and supporting infrastructure.
PPC has estimated capital expenditure of around €1.2 billion for the initial 300 MW phase, included in its current strategic investment plan. Operations are targeted to begin by end-2028. Expansion toward 1 GW would require additional agreements and investment decisions.
This setup separates physical infrastructure from digital operations, with AWS operating the servers while PPC owns the powered site. For utilities, the model is positioned around monetising capabilities already present in their portfolios, including land, grid knowledge, generation portfolios, substations and electricity trading. The customer arrangement is described as providing access to a location where hundreds of megawatts can be delivered rather than purchasing electricity volumes alone.
Behind-the-meter supply approach and implications for thermal sites
PPC’s planned energy architecture is outlined as relevant beyond Greece for other Southeast European markets seeking similar approaches to data-centre power delivery. The group has described a mix including renewable generation, storage and other controllable generation around its Western Macedonia assets, with the national grid providing another supply route. The objective is not complete electrical isolation.
The memorandum notes that data centres require extremely high reliability and will still need robust grid connections and backup arrangements. It also states that generating and managing more electricity closer to the load can reduce how much capacity must be continuously supplied through constrained transmission corridors. This changes how former generation sites may be valued when they retain key infrastructure even if output declines.
A closed coal plant may no longer produce electricity but can retain valuable assets including high-voltage connections, substations, land, water systems, permitting history and established energy corridors. Those assets can be difficult and expensive to reproduce at greenfield data-centre locations, making the electricity connection part of site real-estate value.
AI-driven demand growth and contracted framework for further expansion
The AWS agreement is also linked to how artificial-intelligence investment is beginning to affect utility strategy. PPC has identified data centres as a new growth business alongside renewables, networks and telecommunications, and previously said it could develop additional capacity in Greece and potentially other markets where it operates . The memorandum situates demand growth as part of that rationale.
The source framework says European utilities have prepared over much of the past decade for higher electricity consumption from EVs, heating and industrial electrification. It adds that AI and cloud computing introduce large concentrated loads that can appear faster than traditional network planning cycles. Utilities able to provide firm MW quickly are described as potentially capturing value beyond wholesale electricity margins.
The competitive asset is described as combining generation and connection capacity, which could favour incumbent utilities over independent property developers because utilities control infrastructure that hyperscalers cannot easily replicate themselves . The Greek project remains subject to final agreements and market conditions, particularly regarding expansion beyond the initial 300 MW. The memorandum establishes a contracted customer framework around a strategy PPC had previously presented largely as a development concept.
The significance for Southeast Europe is framed as converting a former power-generation site into a long-term digital infrastructure business where the scarce product is not land or computing equipment but reliable access to hundreds of megawatts . As data-centre demand accelerates, former power stations may become some of the region’s most valuable digital real estate due to existing electricity infrastructure.
