Article

INESC TEC has created a validated tool for analyzing Portugal's transmission network to identify locations for 500 MW to 1 GW data centers. This development comes as Microsoft plans a $10 billion investment in a data center in southern Portugal.

The tool addresses challenges in understanding grid capacity and reliability, enabling a detailed analysis of the national transmission network and ranking substations by their hosting capabilities. This methodology reduces technical risks and aids faster decision-making for energy-intensive consumers, while enhancing the integration of renewable energy. The approach has been applied in consultancy projects and will be further adapted for large-scale data centers.