# Data center sites in France: demand, grid access and land

> Paris delivered **72.5 MW** of new capacity in the first half of 2026, the most of any FLAP-D metro. France is speeding up large projects: RTE pre-certifies **fast-track sites** next to 400 kV substations, EDF offers former power-plant land on long leases, and a **May 2026 law** lets qualifying data centers use the “project of major national interest” procedure for planning changes and grid connections.

Last checked 2026-10-13 · https://ampervia.com/markets/france/

- **72.5 MW** — Paris deliveries, H1 2026: most in FLAP-D
- **400 kV** — RTE fast-track sites sit next to very-high-voltage substations
- **Law 2026-403** — 26 May 2026: major-national-interest route widened
- **≈€4bn** — Montereau campus on a former EDF coal-plant site

## What buyers ask for here

| Who | Where | Size | What they buy | Written |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European operator, M&A team | Paris (with London, Frankfurt) | ~100 MVA ideal; smaller only inside established clusters | Brownfield | Jul 2026 |
| European operator, development team | France (with UK, Germany) | ≥40 MVA in Tier 1–2 markets; ≥200 MVA elsewhere | Brownfield | Jul 2026 |
| Family office | France | Distressed industrial sites | Buys land to sell as powered sites | Jul 2026 |

Anonymised; stated requirements, not commitments to buy a specific site.

## Where sites come from

RTE fast-track industrial sites, EDF land offered through calls for expressions of interest on long building leases, and brownfield sites in the Paris clusters.

## How the power is won

RTE certifies sites where it can connect a very large consumer quickly at 400 kV and manage congestion without curtailing it. EDF pairs its former plant sites with connection support.

## Planning and regulation

Law 2026-403 of 26 May 2026 widens the “projets d’intérêt national majeur” regime, allowing accelerated changes to planning documents and network connections for qualifying projects, including certain data centers.

## Land and price benchmarks

Land terms on EDF sites are long building leases rather than sales. The Montereau case shows the scale a prepared site unlocks: about €4 billion of planned investment.

## Sources

- [JLL — EMEA data centre report](https://www.jll.com/en-uk/insights/emea-data-centre-report)
- [RTE — fast-track site certification for very high power consumers](https://www.services-rte.com/files/live/sites/services-rte/files/Fast-Track%20site%20Certification%20-%205%20sites.pdf)
- [French Ministry of Ecological Transition — Law 2026-403 on simplifying economic life: planning measures (Jul 2026)](https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/loi-simplification-vie-economique-sve-mesures-urbanisme-construction)
- [Reuters — EDF, OpCore to develop €4bn data centre in France](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/edf-opcore-develop-4-billion-euros-data-centre-france-2025-11-17/)
- [EDF — new data centers in France: calls for expressions of interest on EDF land](https://www.edf.fr/en/the-edf-group/supporting-our-clients/cei-data-centers)
- [EDF — calls for expressions of interest for data centers on EDF land (Mar 2025)](https://www.edf.fr/en/the-edf-group/dedicated-sections/journalists/all-press-releases/edf-launches-calls-for-e)