Spanish government to press on with tighter data centre rules before election

MADRID, Oct 8 : Spain's minority leftist government plans tighter oversight of future data centres ahead of an early parliamentary election set for November 29, Digital Transformation Minister Oscar Lopez said on Thursday.

Spain is trying to balance data-centre investment from companies such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, mainly focussed in the northeastern region of Aragon, against concerns over the industry's consumption of energy and water and has drafted tougher water and electricity rules.

Lopez said a decree regulating the fast-growing sector would not require parliamentary approval.

"The government's intention is to move forward with that decree," Lopez told a conference on artificial intelligence, adding that ministries were still reviewing submissions from a public consultation and working on a common position.

Amazon's AWS and Microsoft have said their plans in Aragon remain unaltered but both urged Spain to protect long-term investment by promoting legal certainty and predictability.