Data centres: a boom in projects in Italy – 342 applications for network connections

There is a boom in data centre projects in Italia, driven by cloud computing – which allows data to be processed and stored online on remote hardware without the need for large-scale infrastructure – and by artificial intelligence-based applications. According to figures recorded by Terna, the current total stands at 55 gigawatts across 342 projects: a figure significantly higher than that recorded last year (when the total stood at 31.2 GW) and, above all, a far cry from the figures recorded between 2019 and 2021, when applications had barely reached one gigawatt before exceeding 5 GW in 2023. There has therefore been a sharp increase over the last two years, with the bulk of applications concentrated in northern Italia. Lombardy accounts for the lion’s share, with 210 applications totalling 30.2 gigawatts, the vast majority of which are located in Milan, followed by Piedmont, with 43 applications (9.8 GW), Lazio (27 applications totalling 4.2 GW) and Emilia-Romagna with 15 applications corresponding to 2 GW of power draw.

This figure continues to rise at a dizzying pace: in March, as this newspaper had previously reported, demand stood at 40 gigawatts. In just five months, therefore, demand has increased by 15 gigawatts. This is a sign that the Italian electricity grid, managed by the group led by Giuseppina Di Foggia, represents a reliable and solid platform for the sector to carry out projects, primarily from operators in the property and telecommunications sectors who already manage this type of asset. Their ‘impact’ on the grid is currently modest, but is set to increase, not least because demand for large-scale data centres is growing; when fully operational, their energy consumption is comparable to that of a large city (see also the factsheet on this page).

It is no coincidence that Terna has estimated the contribution of data centres to overall demand in its 2025 development plan, which is currently the subject of public consultation. In that document, the group reiterates, on the one hand, the strong growth that will, as mentioned, affect large and complex data centres – that is, those with the highest energy consumption, as noted – due to ongoing technological innovations; and, on the other hand, it estimates that data centre consumption by 2030 will amount to 11 terawatt-hours, equivalent to 3 per cent of national demand, and that this will be concentrated mainly in the north of the country. This is therefore a significant proportion which, as Terna notes, ‘is nevertheless in line with current projections for other European countries (with the exception of Ireland) and is also considered plausible by industry associations.’

In the face of this surge in applications – with 30 GW of applications already approved – the issue of authorisation now remains to be resolved, with operators calling for the streamlining of procedures, particularly where projects to build new data centres go hand in hand with the construction of power generation facilities to supply them.

On the political front, the government is already working on a solution, and the proposal under consideration – which is expected to be tabled at Palazzo Chigi as part of one of the first relevant legislative measures – is for a single procedure for issuing authorisations for the construction and expansion of infrastructure, as is also the case in the rest of Europe. The Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, is pushing for such a solution; he has tasked his technical team with drawing up a regulatory framework capable of accelerating the development of data centres, which are essential hubs for the country’s digital transition. The proposed approach would be a two-track system, with the regional authorities responsible for issuing the necessary authorisations for facilities with a capacity of up to 300 MW, whilst for those above this threshold, responsibility would lie with the ministry.