La Puebla de Alfindén becomes the new epicenter of Spanish digital infrastructure with a project that will generate nearly 2,800 jobs and could reach an investment of €2.5 billion.
Spain’s digital transformation reaches a new milestone with confirmation of a historic investment: the construction group ACS, led by Florentino Pérez, and the energy company Benbros Energy, owned by the Benjumea brothers, have announced the construction of a large-scale data center in La Puebla de Alfindén (Zaragoza), with an initial investment of €1.254 billion and the potential to expand to €2.5 billion in a second phase.
The announcement was made by the President of Aragón, Jorge Azcón, who held a press conference alongside representatives from the sponsoring companies. He stated, “This is the most important project both companies currently have underway,” emphasizing its significance within a regional ecosystem that has accumulated over €50 billion in business investments over the past two years, with more than €38 billion in the technological sector.
### A Reference Infrastructure in Europe
The data center, located on a 25.5-hectare parcel adjacent to the A-2, will have an initial power capacity of 150 megawatts (MW), already guaranteed by Red Eléctrica through the Peñaflor substation. The promoters have requested to double this capacity, leading to a second phase and raising the total investment to €2.5 billion.
The timeline anticipates construction starting in the first half of 2026 and concluding by the end of 2028. The regional government has already approved its Declaration of General Interest of Aragón (DIGA), a key tool to shorten administrative timelines by half. According to Azcón, this agility “makes a difference” in attracting investments compared to other regions.
### Job and Wealth Generation
The project’s impact goes beyond infrastructure. It is estimated that the data center will generate 2,774 jobs, with 1,510 concentrated in the construction phase. Once operational, it will sustain 540 direct and indirect jobs, along with creating 724 induced jobs.
Furthermore, it is projected that this project will leave a fiscal footprint of €145 million between 2025 and 2039 and an estimated impact of €12.5 billion on Aragón’s GDP over the next 22 years.
### A Rental Data Center Model for Major Tech Companies
The data center will operate under a “colocation” model, designed to offer space and processing capacity to third parties, primarily large tech companies needing physical infrastructure to house their servers or deploy cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.
This model has already been adopted by projects such as those of Blackstone in Calatorao, Azora in Villamayor, and Box2bit in Cariñena, which share a leasing model rather than direct management by tech giants like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft.
In fact, the parcel in La Puebla de Alfindén was initially on Microsoft’s list of potential locations, which ultimately chose three other sites: Villamayor, La Muela, and the area near the Puerto Venecia shopping center.
### Sustainability and Innovation
One of the project’s standout aspects is its commitment to sustainability. The data center will feature a closed-loop cooling system, maintaining optimal server temperatures without excessive water consumption, a crucial factor in water-sensitive areas.
The regional government assures that the environmental impact will be “imperceptible” and that technologies are being employed to further reduce the required cooling flow.
### A Second Data Center on the Horizon
In addition to the massive center in La Puebla, ACS is also pursuing another strategic operation in the López Soriano Recycling Technology Park (PTR), also in Zaragoza, where it acquired 18 hectares from Sareb. While the company has not yet disclosed its exact plans, the investment is on the table and could add another digital infrastructure to the region.
Azcón noted that while the company has not made any statements, “they maintain ownership of the land and will be the ones to announce their intentions in due time.”
### Aragón, A Technological Attraction Hub
With this new investment, Aragón reinforces its position as one of the most important tech hubs in southern Europe. The deployment of high-capacity infrastructure, availability of industrial land, legal security, and administrative speed have become key arguments for attracting private capital to the region.
President Azcón has been firm on this: “We want to continue being a community that generates confidence, and for that, it’s essential to have legal security and an administration that is not a hindrance but a facilitator.”
By the end of June 2025, the community has accumulated 36 projects declared of general interest and has tripled its investment volume in just two years. The Aragonese government’s strategy now focuses on consolidating this growth dynamic and positioning itself as a solid alternative to Madrid and Barcelona in the European technological race.
### Conclusion
The investment from ACS and Benbros is more than just a business project. It is a symbol of the moment Aragón is experiencing, a region that has recognized the digital future as an opportunity for transformation and development. If forecasts are met, the massive data center in La Puebla de Alfindén will not only set a new investment record but will also place the Aragonese community on the global map of the digital economy. As Azcón himself emphasized, “the best is yet to come.”