Greece’s Ministry of Environment and Energy has opened a public consultation on legislation introducing new rules for electricity market operations and data center connections. Under the proposed framework data center investors would be required to cover the full cost of connecting their facilities to the electricity grid, including any necessary upgrades to the power system resulting directly from their connection.
According to a press release, new data centers would also have to source at least 60 percent of their annual electricity consumption from renewable energy sources. The draft bill introduces a financial guarantee of € 200,000 (US$ 244,000) per MW of requested capacity. The measure is intended to discourage applications from investors whose projects are not sufficiently developed but could otherwise reserve available grid capacity.
Investors seeking to connect projects to the transmission system operated by the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) would also face financial viability checks based on specific turnover requirements.
The legislation would tighten the investment and environmental criteria applicants must meet before receiving a Definitive Connection Offer. It also proposes establishing a data center register under the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water (RAAEY) to monitor sector development and improve transparency.
Separately, the draft legislation sets out rules for the operation, maintenance and monitoring of privately owned renewable energy networks, including requirements concerning infrastructure security and environmental protection.
The proposed measures come as authorities seek to manage growing electricity demand from data centers while addressing constraints on available grid capacity and the costs associated with connecting new large-scale consumers.
The consultation runs from October 10 to October 24, 2026, and the proposed legislation incorporates EU Directive 2024/1711, which amends Directives 2018/2001 and 2019/944, and includes additional provisions on the development of energy infrastructure.