By Razvan Toma · Founder & CEO, Ampervia · Last checked 2026-10-13 · Sources linked below
Frankfurt had about 997 MW of data center capacity and 4% vacancy in mid-2026, and a new grid connection of 50 MW or more in the Rhine-Main area can take up to 13 years. Growth is moving to Berlin, Cologne/Düsseldorf and Munich. Near Frankfurt, land ready for a data center trades at €1,000–2,000+/m², against about €350/m² for industrial plots. Sources (3)JLL study via AssetPhysicsJLL study via AssetPhysics — by 2030 many data centers will be built in Germany beyond the metropolises (Jun 2026)↗tz.detz.de — data centers wait up to 13 years for a grid connection (EU Commission, JLL figures, Oct 2026)↗Cash.Cash. — data centers: five per cent market share (Colliers figures, Feb 2026)↗
What buyers ask for here
| Who | Where | Size | What they buy | Written |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure fund | Düsseldorf, Cologne, Berlin | 5–15 MW | Powered land, greenfield or brownfield | Jul 2026 |
| European operator, development team | Germany (with UK, France) | ≥40 MVA in Tier 1–2 markets; ≥200 MVA elsewhere | Brownfield | Jul 2026 |
| European operator, M&A team | Frankfurt (with London, Paris) | ~100 MVA ideal; smaller only inside established clusters | Brownfield | Jul 2026 |
| Global operator, EMEA acquisitions | Across EMEA | Large sites | Powered sites | Aug 2026 |
Germany appears in all four written buyer briefs Ampervia holds. A DACH powered-land developer has also offered sites to our buyers. Anonymised; stated requirements, not commitments to buy a specific site.
Main metros
| Metro | Installed | Under construction or planned | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt | 997 MW | Frankfurt market at 4% vacancy | JLL, Jun 2026 |
| Berlin | 136 MW | 74 MW under construction, 643 MW planned | JLL, Jun 2026 |
| Munich | 102 MW | 122 MW planned | JLL, Jun 2026 |
| Cologne / Düsseldorf | 55 MW | 100 MW planned | JLL, Jun 2026 |
Where sites come from
Business parks, industrial plots and former power-plant sites. Frankfurt-area projects are moving further out: new schemes are increasingly planned about 40 km from the city centre. German Business Review
How the power is won
Since April 2026 the four transmission operators allocate large connections by project maturity, with secured land among the criteria, instead of first come, first served. Berlin rations new data center connections of 3.5 MVA and above through an allocation procedure. In Rhine-Main, demand for connections far exceeds what the upstream grid can supply. Sources (3)German TSOsGerman TSOs — maturity assessment procedure for grid connections (Feb 2026)↗
RaueRaue — BNetzA decision on Berlin's allocation procedure for data center connections (2025)↗tz.detz.de — data centers wait up to 13 years for a grid connection (EU Commission, JLL figures, Oct 2026)↗
Planning and regulation
The Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) requires new data centers to reach a PUE of 1.2; the June 2026 cabinet amendment gives four years instead of two to get there, and makes waste-heat reuse mandatory only where a heat network is available. Some municipalities around Frankfurt refuse data centers over power use and low local tax income. Sources (3)BMWEBMWE — Cabinet adopts Energy Efficiency Act amendment (24 Jun 2026)↗FPS LawFPS Law — what the 2026 EnEfG amendment means for data centers (26 Jun 2026)↗HandelsblattHandelsblatt — Goldgrube Rechenzentrum (Mar 2026)↗
Land and price benchmarks
Colliers puts data-center land near Frankfurt mostly at €1,000–2,000+/m², with top plots up to €3,500/m² reported, against about €350/m² for industrial and logistics land. The drivers are power within five years, a cloud availability zone and permission to build multi-storey. Data center transactions reached about €1.2 billion in 2025. Sources (2)Cash.Cash. — data centers: five per cent market share (Colliers figures, Feb 2026)↗HandelsblattHandelsblatt — Goldgrube Rechenzentrum (Mar 2026)↗
Precedents in Germany
- Siemensstadt, Berlin: a 63 MVA grid contract, then a structured sale to a fund — Completed sale
- Maintal, Frankfurt-Hanau: a business park sold to a data center developer for €40.1 million — Completed sale
- Kelsterbach, Frankfurt: an older data center bought for €81.8 million, sold for €50 million — Completed sale at a loss
Data and rules
Sources
JLL study via AssetPhysicstz.deCash.German Business ReviewGerman TSOsRaueBMWEFPS LawHandelsblatt
Last checked 2026-10-13. Aggregates and anonymised requirements only; no candidate site, owner or municipality is identified.