How Apto is Converting a Bottling Plant Into a Data Centre
Apto has unveiled plans for a hyperscale data centre campus in Fuenlabrada, around 14km from central Madrid, on a 195,000m² brownfield site that once housed a bottling plant.
When complete, it will become the region’s largest facility of its kind, strengthening Madrid’s position as a power-efficient digital hub.
The project is designed from the ground up with energy resilience and sustainability in mind. Phase one will draw initial supply from an on-site 40MW substation, while phase two – currently underway – will expand capacity to 122MW.
Apto is aiming for 50% of total consumption across these phases to come from fully renewable energy sources.
Russell Poole, CEO of Apto, says: “Madrid has quickly established itself as one of Europe’s most dynamic digital hubs, and our investment here reflects both the scale of demand and the strength of the region’s long-term fundamentals.
“This landmark campus will give hyperscale customers the capacity, resilience and sustainability they need to grow, while delivering lasting benefits for the local economy and community.
“It is a major step in Apto’s mission to build world-class, sustainable infrastructure across Europe’s leading cloud regions.”
Renewable strengths and grid connectivity
Madrid’s energy landscape has become a major draw for data centre developers. The city benefits from robust renewable generation (particularly solar) and a competitive energy market that helps lower operational costs.
Strong regional fibre and subsea cable connections reinforce its status as one of Europe’s most desirable cloud investment markets.
The energy strategy for Fuenlabrada includes a roadmap for integrating local green power into operations and promoting low-emission mobility solutions for staff and visitors.
Local collaboration and energy planning
To advance the project, Apto has partnered with Spanish urban planning and development specialist Arnaiz, whose five decades of local experience bring valuable regulatory and spatial planning expertise.
The collaboration is backed by regional agencies including the Comunidad de Madrid, Invest in Madrid and the Fuenlabrada municipality.
Rocío Albert, Councillor for Economy, Taxation and Employment of the Comunidad de Madrid, says: “It’s a fundamental project in Fuenlabrada, in an area that was a completely disused industrial zone, which is going to be turned into a data centre that will provide support for cloud services as well as artificial intelligence, which are so necessary to attract high economic value companies to the Community of Madrid.”
Support also comes through the European Union’s InvestEU Partnership, underlining the project’s role in Europe’s wider energy transition.
Regeneration through sustainable infrastructure
The campus has been conceived as a brownfield regeneration initiative, designed to breathe new economic and environmental life into the area.
Sustainable construction materials, on-site generation and extensive greening plans – including thousands of new trees and landscaped paths – will create a more energy-efficient and community-friendly environment.
Economic benefits are expected to extend well beyond the site. According to industry association Spain DC, each euro invested in data centre infrastructure generates more than seven euros in value for local communities – evidence of how energy projects like this can drive long-term regional growth.
