PPC and AWS signed a memorandum on Sept. 17 for a data centre at Agios Dimitrios in Western Macedonia. The project targets an initial electricity supply capacity of 300 MW, with potential expansion to as much as 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 memorandum, PPC will provide the land, buildings and supporting energy infrastructure. AWS will install and operate the IT equipment. The agreement is positioned as more significant for the regional electricity market than another large data-centre announcement.
Agios Dimitrios scope and commercial structure
The planned campus is described by PPC as combining land, existing power infrastructure, generation, grid access and telecommunications into a single offering for an energy-intensive digital customer. The memorandum links the development of the powered site with AWS’s role in operating computing equipment. PPC’s responsibilities include providing the physical infrastructure and supplying electricity, while AWS supplies and runs the IT stack.
A hyperscale campus requiring 300 MW is described as a demand block comparable with a substantial industrial plant. Expansion toward 1 GW would create a load comparable in scale with some of Southeast Europe’s largest generating units. The memorandum also notes that securing such demand via a conventional greenfield grid connection can take years of transmission investment.
Power infrastructure as the location advantage
Data-centre developers traditionally prioritise fibre connectivity, land, taxation and proximity to customers, while electricity availability is increasingly described as limiting development timelines. The Agios Dimitrios site is said to sit within an established power-generation area with substantial electricity infrastructure. PPC controls around 300,000 square metres of land at the location.
PPC said it plans to supply much of the campus through 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, by building part of the electricity system around the consumer rather than relying entirely on immediate transmission network provision. The outcome is described as resembling a private power campus rather than a conventional industrial connection.
PPC investment, timeline and ownership model
The commercial structure also reflects a shift in PPC’s business model. PPC does not intend to operate AWS’s computing equipment, but would own and develop the physical data-centre infrastructure. Recurring revenue would come from property leasing, electricity supply and supporting infrastructure.
PPC 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.
Behind-the-meter supply approach across Western Macedonia assets
PPC outlined an energy architecture for the project that includes 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 because data centres require high reliability and still need robust grid connections and backup arrangements. Generating and managing more electricity close to the load is described as reducing how much capacity must be continuously supplied through constrained transmission corridors.
The memorandum links this approach to changes in how former generation sites can be valued when operations decline or close during decarbonisation. It cites that even if a closed coal plant no longer produces electricity, its location can retain high-voltage connections, substations, land, water systems, permitting history and established energy corridors. Those assets are described as difficult and expensive to reproduce at greenfield data-centre locations.
Regional implications for utilities and AI-driven demand
The source material says Southeast Europe contains numerous coal and thermal-generation sites that will eventually reduce operations or close as power systems decarbonise. Many are located in large industrial areas connected directly to high-voltage networks, where closure can create regional economic issues and leave network infrastructure underused. Large electricity consumers are presented as another option for reusing electrical infrastructure rather than requiring entirely new connections elsewhere.
The memorandum also states that where utilities already own land, they can package sites with renewable supply, storage, grid connection, fibre and energy-management services. It describes this as different from selling electricity under a conventional corporate PPA because it involves selling powered land rather than only MWh supply.
The AWS agreement is also described as reflecting how artificial-intelligence investment is beginning to change utility strategy. PPC has identified data centres as a growth business alongside renewables, networks and telecommunications, and has previously said it could develop additional capacity in Greece and potentially other markets where it operates . The memorandum connects AI and cloud computing demand growth with concentrated loads that can appear faster than traditional network planning cycles.
It further states that utilities able to provide firm MW quickly could capture value beyond wholesale electricity margins because competitive advantage increasingly combines generation with connection capacity . The Greek project remains subject to final agreements and market conditions, particularly regarding expansion beyond the initial 300 MW.
