START CAMPUS, based in Sines, Portugal, has taken deliver of 14 backup generator sets. ENERGETUS S.A. is responsible for the full EPC scope, delivering a complete turnkey backup power solution to the client. The generators have been equipped with Rolls-Royce Power Systems MTU engines and have been containerised by Etermar Energia in Setúbal.
The remaining ten generator sets will be delivered over the coming weeks, marking another important milestone in the construction of the largest data centre in Portugal.
One of Europe's largest AI-focused digital infrastructure projects - the START CAMPUS Sines Data Campus, located in Sines on Portugal's Atlantic coast The planned campus is designed for up to 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of IT capacity, making it one of the largest data centre developments in Europe. For comparison, many major hyperscale campuses are measured in the hundreds of megawatts rather than over a gigawatt. Unlike older facilities designed primarily for traditional cloud workloads, Sines is being marketed as "AI-ready" from the start, with support for high-density computing, liquid cooling, and large-scale AI and high-performance computing (HPC) deployments.
One of the biggest advantages of the facility is geography. Sines sits near major subsea cable routes connecting Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. The campus is intended to serve as an Atlantic digital gateway between continents. A particularly unusual feature is its cooling system. The campus reuses infrastructure from a former power station and uses seawater cooling, which avoids consuming freshwater—a growing concern for large AI data centres worldwide. The company targets a very low water usage effectiveness (WUE) and an efficient PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of around 1.1.
The project is designed to run on 100% renewable electricity, taking advantage of Portugal's strong wind and solar generation. Energy availability is one reason many AI infrastructure developers are looking at Portugal. The development represents roughly €8.5 billion in planned investment through 2030, making it one of Portugal's largest private infrastructure projects. The first operational facility (SIN01) opened in 2025.
The campus has attracted attention because Europe is kken to build more AI computing capacity instead of relying heavily on infrastructure elsewhere. Reports in 2025 indicated plans involving major AI infrastructure deployments and a multibillion-dollar commitment from partners for AI computing infrastructure at Sines.
Supporters see Sines as a chance for Portugal to become a major European AI and cloud hub, leveraging renewable power and transatlantic connectivity. Critics question the local economic benefits, environmental impacts, and the political controversies that surrounded the project's permitting process.
In short, START CAMPUS is special because it combines gigawatt-scale AI infrastructure, renewable energy, seawater cooling, and strategic subsea cable connectivity—a combination which very few data center projects in Europe currently match.
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