Sustainable data center operator Start Campus has secured an additional 705 MW of power from REN, Portugal's transmission system operator, bringing the total IT capacity for its SINES DC campus in Portugal to 1.2 GW, an increase from the initial 495 MW. The company says this makes the facility the largest colocation site in Europe with fully secured grid power.

Environmentally Friendly Seawater Cooling System

Additionally, the company said SINES DC uses Start Campus's seawater cooling system to minimise environmental impact and enhance efficiency, enabling the company to deliver large-scale, AI-ready, and sustainable data center solutions.

Six Phases of Development

Located south of Lisbon, the campus will be developed in six phases. The first building, SIN01, is set to begin operations by Q4 2024 with an initial 14 MW capacity, expandable to 26 MW. Subsequent buildings (SIN02-06) will each offer up to 240 MW, with all buildings expected to be operational by 2030. SIN02 is ready for service from 2026, the company said.

Rob Dunn, Chief Executive Officer of Start Campus, said, "Securing this additional grid capacity marks a significant milestone for Start Campus. The scale of SINES DC, coupled with our unique seawater cooling solution, creates an unprecedented offering that sets new standards for the industry."

Investment in Transmission Network

This power allocation follows REN's commitment to make significant investments to extend and develop the transmission network in the high-demand area of Sines, the official release said.