Spain relaxes initial proposal for data-center rules

MADRID, Oct 26 : Spain on Monday unveiled a more flexible version of its proposed decree governing data centers after a wave of project announcements in the country, according to officials at the energy ministry.

• The revised proposal raises the threshold for the rules to apply, extends the time frame for developers to demonstrate renewable-energy commitments and introduces a transition period for meeting clean-power targets.

• The initial proposal said that rules would apply to facilities with more than 1 megawatt of power capacity. That threshold has now been increased to more than 10 MW.

• Originally, every new megawatt of energy used had to be matched by a new megawatt of renewable energy installed in the 18 months before the facility starts operation. Now, the time frame has been extended to 36 months before the start of operation, and there is no time limit for solar energy.

• The latest proposal maintains that renewable energy would have to cover at least 80 per cent of data centers' energy supply for every hour of operation. The new proposal offers an alternative: a transition period of up to five years to reach that threshold under several conditions.

• With abundant renewable energy and large swaths of empty land, Spain has emerged as one of the hottest hubs in Europe, attracting projects tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure worth tens of billions of euros.