The climatic commitments that Europe has acquired have condemned, in the short or medium term, the future of gas and coal power plants disseminated across the old continent. Many of these facilities are now defunct. Surprisingly, however, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to *save* them. This doesn’t imply that they will resume burning gas and coal; rather, the proposal at hand is to convert them into data centers .
According to Reuters, Microsoft and Amazon are two of the major technology companies interested in transforming these old power plants. Negotiations are already underway with French energy firm Engie, German energy company RWE, and Italian firms regarding this transformation. For these energy companies, this option is highly appealing as it provides dual benefits.
By converting their outdated electric power plants into data centers, they can generate a new stream of income that was previously non-existent. Additionally, some of these energy firms are in discussions with technology companies to supply the necessary electricity for their data centers. At first glance, this appears to be a *win-win situation*.
An Agreement in Which Everyone Wins
“You have all the necessary pieces, such as water infrastructure and heat recovery ,” stated Bobby Hollis, Vice President of Energy at Microsoft. This statement underlines an essential fact: the old gas and coal plants that are no longer operational possess the required water supply and heat management systems that modern data centers demand. Consequently, it’s likely that transforming these facilities into data centers won’t require extensive renovations.
Agility in establishing these data centers and cost moderation are what make them particularly attractive to large technology firms.
Furthermore, Lindsay McQuade, Director of Energy for the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) at Amazon, shared her confidence that the permits necessary for these converted data centers will be granted much earlier than those required for completely new facilities. Most of the existing infrastructure is already in place within these old buildings. The efficiency in setting up these data centers, coupled with lower startup costs, makes them very appealing to major tech companies.
Since 2005, both Europe and the United Kingdom have closed down no fewer than 190 coal and lignite plants, with another 153 slated for closure before 2038. The opportunity to repurpose these buildings into AI data centers is evidently attractive. Nonetheless, a significant challenge remains unresolved: it remains uncertain whether the electrical infrastructure in some countries can adequately support the energy demands of these operations without substantial upgrades. In this scenario, renewable energies and nuclear will ultimately have the final say.
Image | Marcin Jozwiak
More information can be found in the original article on Reuters.
In Xataka, discussions surrounding our substantial energy consumption for air conditioning highlight the paradox that it exceeds the electricity use by data centers.