Germany's Uniper to establish data centres at power plant sites

State-owned German energy company Uniper on Tuesday outlined plans to generate revenue by establishing artificial intelligence (AI) data centres at power plant sites.

"We are developing our power plant sites further into locations for the AI economy," chief executive Michael Lewis said in Dusseldorf.

Uniper had identified more than 10 of its own sites, with three at an advanced stage, he said. An initial project in the United Kingdom was complete, and further investment decisions would be made this year, Lewis said.

He said the next industrial revolution would be driven by AI, which needed secure and reliable energy.

Lewis highlighted grid connections as a constraint. "In Germany, developers often wait years for connection commitments. We already have grid connections at many of our power plant sites," he said.

Rival RWE, the German energy company, is also developing data centres at its own industrial sites, with around 10 sites under development.

Uniper confirmed earnings forecasts. Adjusted net profit is now expected to be between €500 million ($570 million) and €600 million at the end of the year.

The Dusseldorf-based company benefited from strong gas trading, as expensive conversion measures are not required this year. However, the unplanned outage of a Swedish nuclear power plant had a negative impact on results.

The group's adjusted profit nearly tripled to €388 million.