Spain · Google · Datacenter Dynamics
Portuguese gov't drafts new rules requiring data centers to be powered via renewable energy
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The Portuguese government has proposed new rules that would require data centers in the country to be powered by renewable energy and to use waterless cooling systems.
Key facts
- The Portuguese data center market is growing rapidly, with more than 2.6GW of capacity currently under development
- Notably, in 2023, a corruption scandal linked to the Start data center campus brought down the Portuguese government, leading to then-Prime Minister António Costa's resignation
- Currently, the country has 36 operational data centers, with ten more under construction or in planning
- Environment Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho said that the Portuguese government was finalizing legislation that would see data centers face "stringent requirements on water use" and a "rigorous
Summary
Environment Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho said that the Portuguese government was finalizing legislation that would see data centers face "stringent requirements on water use" and a "rigorous" environmental review. "We'll require projects to either have a cooling technology that does not require fresh water, because that is already possible, or a water solution that does not conflict with water supplies for the general population and other socio-economic activities," she told a parliamentary hearing. The rules would mean that data centers in the European country would have to run on renewable power, said Carvalho, citing the country’s abundant solar, wind, and hydropower resources. The Portuguese data center market is growing rapidly, with more than 2.6GW of capacity currently under development.