Investment in data centers in Portugal on the rise

Portugal is expanding the number of data centres according to a report from consultants Cushman & Wakefield in a new study on the sector.

At the end of 2024, there was a total of 21GW of data centres capacity in the EMEA (EU, Europe, Middle East and Africa) region in operation, construction or planning.

The study says that operational capacity grew 9% in annual terms while projects in the pipeline are up 16% for the same period.

The study tracks the top 32 data center markets in EMEA, comparing their current maturity and growth potential over the next decade. In Lisbon, indicators show that the data centre market is still at an early stage in terms of real capacity. However, pipeline capacity is expanding rapidly.

While active capacity currently stands at 15MW, AtlasEdge (9.3MW) and Merlin Properties (180MW) have data centers under construction. In addition, in the initial phase (excluded from the analysis), the Start Campus in Sines has 1.2 GW. Operators such as Altice Portugal, Equinix and NOS Sistemas lead in the capital Lisbon.

“Portugal has land in strategic industrial zones, ideal for new data center projects, and a robust renewable energy production capacity. Currently, more than 70% of the country’s electricity is generated from renewable sources, positioning us as leaders in the production of this type of energy.

However, we must take into account that not all the land has dark fiber trunk cover, which means that some locations are not yet fully prepared for these digital factories of the future”, adds Sérgio Nunes, Head of Industrial, Logistics at C&W Portugal.

Lisbon’s strategic location, close to the main submarine cables, reinforces its importance in global connectivity. Google’s Cloud cable, scheduled for 2026, and 2Africa will both be close to Lisbon.

In Sines, the Start Campus project, costing €8.5Bn, aims to become the largest data centre in Europe, with 1.2 GW of capacity powered by renewable energy, and already has all the necessary licences.

Led by Start Campus, the Sines 4.0 project foresees the construction of six buildings. Engexpor has completed the construction of the first building of the Sines DC project, called SIN01. This building is the smallest of the 6 buildings planned for the campus. SIN01 has an area of 21,600 m² and an installed capacity of 14 MW, with several functional zones.