(Reuters) -French utility EDF and OpCore, a joint venture between telecoms group Iliad and InfraVia Capital Partners, have entered into exclusive negotiations to develop a hyperscale data centre, the companies said on Monday.
The project, which would be located on the site of EDF’s former coal-fired plant at Montereau-Vallee-de-la-Seine, is expected to cost around 4 billion euros ($4.64 billion) and would create one of Europe’s largest computing hubs with several hundred megawatts of capacity.
Europe's old power plant sites are increasingly being repurposed for data centres to meet surging demand for AI computing, leveraging existing grid connections and industrial land to speed up deployment and cut costs.
"This investment shows that France intends to lead the artificial intelligence revolution," French Economy Minister Roland Lescure said in a statement. “We are reaffirming our determination to reindustrialise the country, create jobs ... and make France a major digital power."
A first phase is scheduled to come online in 2027 under France’s fast-track grid connection scheme.
EDF launched a call for interest earlier this year to repurpose industrial land for strategic digital infrastructure.
The Montereau site, shut down in 2004, will be redeveloped with a focus on energy efficiency and environmental standards, the companies said.
($1 = 0.8618 euros)
(Reporting by Alban Kacher; Editing by Alex Richardson and Joe Bavier)
