Spain Eases Proposed Rules for Data Centers

Spain unveiled a more flexible version of its proposed decree governing data centers, Reuters reported, citing energy ministry officials. The rules would now apply only to facilities with more than 10 MW of power capacity, up from 1 MW in the first draft.

Developers will have 36 months before a facility starts operating to match each new megawatt of demand with new renewable capacity, instead of 18 months, and there is no time limit for solar. The requirement that renewables cover at least 80% of a data center's supply for every hour of operation stays, but operators can now get a transition period of up to five years under several conditions.

Spain has become one of Europe's busiest data center hubs, attracting AI infrastructure projects worth tens of billions of euros.