Portugal targets high‑value data centres, rejects energy‑dumping projects

Portugal’s infrastructure minister Miguel Pinto Luz said the country wants to attract data‑centre projects that deliver measurable productivity gains and real economic benefits, while avoiding "energy‑dumping" schemes that consume "absolutely astronomical" amounts of power.

Lisbon is positioning itself as a European data‑centre hub, with more than 2.6 GW under development. The flagship 1.2‑GW Start Campus project in Sines, backed by Microsoft’s AI infrastructure investment, leads the pipeline that is expected to expand further. Portugal’s abundant wind, solar and hydropower provide competitive renewable electricity, with wholesale power prices in the Iberian MIBEL market around 40 €/MWh – significantly lower than the 90 €/MWh typical in other European markets. The nation’s Atlantic coastline also makes it a strategic landing point for subsea cables linking Europe, Africa and the Americas, supporting the growth of AI‑driven data‑centres.