Poland's 140 data centers hold 200MW, about 1% of global capacity

Poland's roughly 140 data centers hold about 200MW of capacity, around 1% of the global total, according to executives at some of the country's largest operators. Sylwia Pyśkiewicz, CEO of Equinix Polska, Wojciech Stramski, CEO of Beyond.pl, and Sławomir Koszołko, CEO of Atman, gave the figures on stage at DCN Warsaw, an event run by Data Center Nation, a sister company of Data Center Dynamics, which reported the session on Oct. 16.

The three said the country's footprint should exceed 200MW given the size of its economy, its population and its position in Eastern Europe. Spread across 140 sites, 200MW works out at roughly 1.4MW per facility, a market of small footprints rather than hyperscale campuses.

For an allocator underwriting a Polish facility, two inputs sit in the tenant negotiation: the contracted power price and the carbon content of the supply. Stramski said Polish power still costs more than in some competing markets. DCD reported that the idea of a coal-reliant grid putting off customers worried about their carbon footprint was repeated by many people it spoke to around the event, which suggests the electricity contract carries much of the leasing risk, not the building shell.

The supply side is moving. Poland has added tens of gigawatts of renewable capacity in recent years and targets 51% renewable electricity generation and 64GW of renewable capacity by 2030, rising to 69% renewables by 2040, DCD reported.

Renewable generation exceeded coal-fired generation for the first time in June 2025, and gas capacity has also grown. Storage has not followed solar at the same pace, though gigawatts of storage capacity are due online in the coming years, according to the report.

Stramski said investors had previously disregarded Poland because of past grid problems and are now becoming more comfortable with the country on the strength of its new power story. DCD reported that there is hope prices could come down further as grid modernization continues, an expectation rather than a commitment.

Poland's first nuclear plant is due to begin construction in 2028 and could come online between 2036 and 2040. A second plant is also planned, and the two sites could total 9GW, DCD reported.