This contradiction exposes a deep flaw in Greece’s growth model: a state that champions a “green transition” while promoting projects that consume vast amounts of water and electricity.
The double track of a political equation
According to Scope Ratings, Europe is witnessing an explosion of data center development — over 2,500 installations by 2024 — which places immense pressure on aging power grids and dwindling water resources.In Greece, the government celebrates these projects as ‘green investments’, downplaying their environmental impact. The result is a form of policy dissonance: growth without a sustainable framework.
Water as the collateral damage of the digital era
As the Environmental and Energy Study Institute notes, a medium-sized data center can require up to 420 million liters of water annually for cooling — equivalent to the usage of a thousand households.This is no minor issue, especially in cities like Athens, where the signs of environmental drought are already visible.Yet the government remains silent, deferring the debate as if there were no real clash between technology and nature.
The political dimension: growth or illusion?
The so-called “Mitsotakis dilemma” is not merely technical — it is profoundly political.How can a nation claim to pursue “green growth” while embracing an industrial model that thirsts for natural resources?The rhetoric of innovation and sustainability weakens when the very policies undermine the balance between environment and economy.
Europe regulates, Greece invites
While France and the Netherlands have imposed mandatory reporting on energy and water use for the data center sector, Greece continues to offer incentives for installation — with no binding environmental oversight.The EU Energy Efficiency Directive now calls for low-consumption cooling systems and water-recycling technologies, yet in Greece, such standards remain wishful thinking.
The equation of the future: digital growth without resource exhaustion
Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the digital economy are here to stay. The real question is: on what foundation? If the price of a “Digital Greece” is to drain its own water reserves, then the strategy needs urgent recalibration — not applause.
The balance between data and drought, between servers and streams, will define the new era of environmental politics.
And within that balance lies the true test of the government’s credibility.
Green growth is not a slogan. It’s an equation — one that must reconcile profit, water, and transparency.