Data centres in Italy: demand for the Terna network is booming (+48 per cent)
In the first eight months of the year alone, there was a surge of over 48 per cent: the lion’s share of applications came from Lombardy, Lazio and Piedmont
Key points
The rapid growth of data centres continues to drive demand for electricity, at least on paper. According to figures recorded by Terna, requests to connect new data centre projects to the electricity grid reached 95.38 gigawatts (data recorded on 21 August). This is a significant jump when compared to 2021, when requests of this kind stood at 1 gigawatt.
Since then, a veritable race has been underway, which first saw the number of applications rise to 5.40 GW in 2023, before climbing to 31.28 GW the following year: a boom which, as documented by the group led by Pasqualino Monti, is concentrated mainly in northern Italia and, in particular, in Lombardy, which alone has received 290 applications totalling 46 GW – largely centred on Milan – followed by Lazio, Piedmont and Apulia.
The peak in the Centre-North
Of the 531 applications received by Terna to date – 300 of which have been received since the start of January alone (58.7 GW, which is 48.2 per cent more than in the first eight months of 2025, when the total stood at 215 (39.6 GW)) – only 15 (1.88 GW) have reached the most advanced stage of development, a sign that the bulk of the applications represent potential demand that will not materialise. Nevertheless, the figures remain highly significant. In August alone, according to Terna, there were 8 new applications for 0.87 GW (3 applications from Lombardy, 2 from Puglia, and 1 application each from Emilia-Romagna, Sicily and Veneto), whilst 6 applications lapsed, representing a capacity of approximately 1.3 GW. In July, by contrast, 17 applications were received for a total capacity of 1.68 GW: over the two months, 7 applications came from Lombardy (857 MW), 4 from Piedmont (350 MW), 2 from Campania (200 MW), 2 from Basilicata (200 MW) and, finally, 10 applications from Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Lazio, Sicily, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, totalling 1.1 GW. As in August, however, eight applications lapsed or were withdrawn.
A profile of the proposers
Applications come mainly from engineering firms and developers of this type of plant or of renewable energy plants, but also from special-purpose vehicles and property firms. Whilst it is clearly not possible to obtain a detailed overview of the activities of the applicant, one important point can be noted: during the authorisation process, end-users step in to take ownership of the applications from the development and design firms, in much the same way as occurs in the renewable energy sector.
Returning to the more than 530 applications submitted since the start of the year, only around 10 per cent can be directly attributed to data centre operators or investment funds dedicated to them, whilst the remaining 90 per cent is divided between around 30 per cent attributable to design, development and special-purpose companies, and 60 per cent comprising a diverse group of larger property and logistics firms and private operators.
