Poland’s data centre capacity has grown from a small base two decades ago to roughly 200–250 MW today. Grid operator projections put potential demand at around 3 GW by 2036 and 5 GW by 2040 if projects proceed. That jump will only happen if the power system can shift quickly enough from the coal plants that still form the bulk of its supply.
Those plants have long supplied both electricity and heat, and many of the sites now being closed or converted still hold strong grid connections. At the same time, Poland has added more than 20 GW of solar. Total renewable capacity from solar and wind stands at roughly 37–38 GW, against peak demand that has recently reached 28–29 GW.
The renewables are weather-dependent, so firm capacity is still needed. That is where nuclear comes in. Germany chose to close its nuclear plants, largely in response to public opinion after the Fukushima accident. Poland is taking the opposite route. “We are now moving towards nuclear as means of first decarbonizing our network and second securing the base load,” said Piotr Kowalski, managing director of the Polish Data Centre Association. “That’s essentially also what differs us from Germany.”
A Corridor Between the Nordics and Berlin
Cooler average temperatures already put Poland among the better European markets outside the Nordics. Kowalski works closely with Nordic data centre associations and sees the north and northwest of the country as a natural corridor linking Nordic capacity, Berlin’s growing region and central Poland. “I’m really closely collaborating with all the Nordic associations,” he said. “I’m also betting on data centre growth north and northwest of Poland, because essentially this is a great gateway between Germany, Nordics, and Poland in between.” The association has worked with grid operators on how data centre demand fits into longer-term planning.
Power connection used to dominate timelines. A change to the energy law earlier this year introduced fees for applications and connection agreements. That cleared a large volume of speculative requests. Money and access to power are no longer the binding constraints for serious projects. Environmental and construction permitting now sit on the critical path.
Kowalski said the association is working with five ministries on streamlining the process. “When you’re asking me now, what’s the biggest bottleneck? I would say definitely permitting… Access to power is not a problem. Permitting is probably on the critical path now.”
Why Opposition Has Followed Projects Into Construction
Organised local opposition to data centre projects was not a central part of the conversation in Poland until four or five months ago, Kowalski said. Two sites close to Warsaw have since drawn attention.
In Reguły, in the municipality of Michałowice, the U.S. firm Hillwood is planning a large campus on over 22 hectares. Residents organised through the Stowarzyszenie Aktywnych Sąsiadów (Association of Active Neighbours) and collected more than 1,000 signatures. They cited noise, water, power demand and the distance to single-family homes. Hillwood has said it adjusted the design after feedback, moving buildings farther from housing, adding a green buffer and reducing individual building sizes.
In Piaseczno, Sien Real, a joint venture involving Budimex and Ferrovial, is building a four-building complex near Józefosław. An environmental decision and building permit were issued in 2024. Construction began in August, and on September 16 residents gathered at the site. Concerns focused on water use, 24-hour noise, proximity to homes and existing local water-pressure problems. The investor has said the project meets environmental and acoustic standards.
Under European rules an environmental permit must be secured before a construction permit can be granted, and applicants have to demonstrate compliance. Kowalski explained that the European construction process is much more stringent and that operators must prove their case as engineers. Many of the objections now circulating, he has argued, mirror those seen in U.S. projects without fully reflecting that difference.
The Association’s Response on Water Consumption
One of the specific grievances raised against data centres is water consumption. To understand the scale, the association analysed data reported under the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. It concluded that data centres account for approximately 0.01 percent of total water consumption across the European Union. Polish facilities show better water-use effectiveness than some U.S. examples, helped by cooler climate and greater use of dry or free cooling. The association published the analysis based on EED reporting.
“We’ve even done a detailed analysis of the actual water consumption of data centres in Europe, and it turned out that it’s 0.01 percent of total water consumption in Europe,” Kowalski said. “So essentially, it’s a rounding mistake dressed as a villain, but the reality is that it simply doesn’t stick.”
The episode underlines the importance of timely, factual communication with communities. U.S. discourse on data centres now circulates widely in European media, yet those arguments do not always reflect the stricter European permitting process or the measured data it produces.
Can Poland Follow the Nordics?
As we have been covering, the Nordics have established themselves as Europe’s leading data-centre region through cooler climate, abundant low-carbon power and a track record of large-scale delivery. Poland’s energy transition is now opening sites beyond the traditional Warsaw concentration, capital is available, and investor interest has risen. Permitting remains the main schedule risk, and local response is now part of the delivery picture once projects become visible.
Whether Poland can follow the Nordics toward a larger share of European capacity will depend on how quickly environmental and construction permitting can be streamlined, how nuclear and grid investment lock in firm power outside the historic hubs, and how effectively the industry engages communities before projects reach construction.
Cooler temperatures and the north-west corridor already give the country a structural advantage. The next test is whether those conditions, plus a clearer permitting path and earlier local dialogue, are enough to turn interest into delivered capacity at Nordic scale.
Author: Grace Sharp
See Also:
What Country in Europe Has the Most Data Centres?
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