Energa Obrót to Power €3 Billion AI Data Center in Konin

Energa Obrót, the city of Konin and Centralna Grupa Energetyczna have signed a letter of intent covering the electricity supply for an AI data center under construction in Konin. The document, announced on September 3, 2026, names Energa Obrót as the preferred energy partner for the entire venture, valued at nearly €3 billion.

Three parties, one letter

The agreement brings together three distinct roles. Centralna Grupa Energetyczna, owner of the special-purpose vehicle CGE 171FF, is responsible for building and operating the data center itself. The city of Konin prepared the investment site and provided administrative support, including the building permit for the first phase issued on May 18, 2026. Energa Obrót, in turn, is to supply the electricity, acting as an aggregator and the party responsible for commercial balancing.

That division of roles addresses one of the biggest challenges facing data center investors in Poland: securing a stable, predictable energy supply for years ahead. At capacities in the hundreds of megawatts, grid access itself is often now a bigger constraint than construction capital.

Electricity is the foundation without which AI development is not possible - Jacek Kosakowski, CEO of Centralna Grupa Energetyczna

Capacity and energy use

According to the parties' agreement, the first phase of the Konin complex will have up to 100 MW of IT capacity and consume roughly 1 TWh of electricity annually, equivalent to the power use of several hundred thousand households. Once all phases are complete, the facility's capacity is expected to exceed 260 MW.

That scale places the Konin project among the largest announced data center developments in Poland. Plans call for four server buildings along with office, logistics and technical facilities, twelve underground fuel tanks for backup generators, and a waste heat recovery system that would feed into the local district heating network.

Construction timeline

The administrative groundwork is already well advanced. The Konin city office issued the building permit for the first phase on May 18, 2026, with the first earthworks scheduled to begin in early 2027. The energy letter of intent is a further step needed to close financing and finalize technical arrangements with the grid operator before construction starts.

The data center is to be built on investment land prepared by the city, in a region long associated with lignite mining and conventional power generation. Konin's authorities are hoping the new investment will help diversify the local economy at a time when the region's traditional energy industry is winding down capacity.

What it means for Konin and Poland

For a city of just under 72,000 residents, an investment of this scale means new property tax revenue and jobs during construction and operation of the facility. Konin's mayor also ties the project to broader ambitions for the wider region.

Konin can become a very important AI hub in Poland and Europe - Piotr Korytkowski, Mayor of Konin

Local media have also floated potential synergies with a nuclear power plant planned for the region, which could eventually supply later phases of the data center with a stable, low-emission energy source. For now, though, that link remains speculative, and the deal with Energa Obrót is the key piece of the puzzle.

The Konin project fits a broader trend of rising demand for AI computing infrastructure in Poland, where energy utilities are increasingly becoming key partners for investors rather than mere service providers. For Energa Obrót, part of the Orlen Group, a deal of this scale is one of the first major contracts directly tied to the AI boom.