NO DEMOLITION NEEDED: EUROPE'S COAL PLANTS COULD BE TRANSFORMED INTO AI-READY DATA CENTERS

Across Europe, dozens of aging coal-fired power plants that once powered industrial economies are being eyed for a high-tech transformation: turning them into next-generation data centers.

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With no need for demolition, many of these shuttered facilities can be repurposed to support the exploding demand for digital infrastructure—especially in artificial intelligence and cloud computing—while avoiding costly environmental disruption.

The shift reflects two converging trends. First, Europe's commitment to phasing out coal in favor of clean energy sources has left large, strategically located industrial sites vacant. Second, the rapid acceleration of AI and cloud services is driving an unprecedented need for data centers with access to grid infrastructure, cooling capacity, and scalable energy—precisely what these old plants already offer.

FROM POLLUTION TO PROCESSING POWER

What makes coal power plants attractive as data center locations isn’t just their physical footprint—it’s their embedded access to substation-grade power connections and proximity to both urban markets and renewable energy sources. Many of these sites were designed to handle high electrical loads and have direct transmission lines to the grid, significantly lowering the cost and complexity of establishing large-scale compute hubs.

In regions like Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, and the UK, local governments and private operators are working with tech firms and infrastructure investors to explore adaptive reuse. Instead of tearing down buildings and remediating land, operators can retrofit existing facilities with modern insulation, cooling systems, and power control units—repurposing boilers and turbine halls into server halls and cooling chambers.