Data centres, from a single procedure to faster timeframes: this is how the government aims to boost the sector

The procedure must be concluded within ten months from the verification of the completeness of the documentation, with half deadlines (except for public comments, which cannot be reduced to less than 30 days) for environmental impact assessments. This timeframe cannot be extended, except in exceptional cases and in any case for a maximum of ninety days, due to the nature, complexity of the project, location or scope of the project.

The authorisation will be issued after a services conference: this will be the hub that will ensure the involvement of all the competent administrations for the issuing of the authorisations necessary for the operation of the data centres. And, as part of the services conference, the verification of subjectivity to the EIA (environmental impact assessment) will also be acquired, which is the responsibility of the state, for plants above 50 MW (or 25 if the threshold is halved) or the EIA, also the responsibility of the state, for plants above 150 MW.

Yes. The measure establishes that, for projects declared to be of national strategic interest, authorisation will follow the accelerated procedures provided for in Decree 104 of 2023, according to which the government may decide, on the proposal of the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, on the pre-eminent national strategic interest of large investment projects that require integrated and coordinated administrative procedures of local authorities, regions, autonomous provinces, state administrations and other public bodies or entities of any nature. And, in this regard, an extraordinary government commissioner may be appointed to ensure the coordination and administrative action necessary for the timely and effective implementation of the investment programme.

According to the decree, data centre projects that have already obtained, at the date of entry into force of the measure, the necessary permits for the realisation of the project itself - whereby the necessary permits are understood to be all the environmental measures adopted by the authority identified as competent - and that require the connection of utilities with a voltage greater than 220 kilovolts, may request authorisation for the realisation of the connection works from the territorially competent region.

If the authorisations for the implementation of the data centre project have not been obtained, it is not possible to apply to the region responsible for the connection works.

If the grid connection works fall on the territory of more than one region, the competent authority for granting the authorisation is the region on which the largest portion of the grid connection works to be realised is located.