Spain and Ireland are moving forward with new requirements to address the energy impact of data centres, in a debate that brings together decarbonisation, security of supply and competitiveness.
The impact of data centres on electricity systems and the regulatory responses beginning to emerge in different markets are at the heart of the article “And bring your own energy too?”, authored by Catarina Brito Ferreira, partner at Morais Leitão.
In the article, Catarina Brito Ferreira analyses the recent draft regulation presented in Spain and the measures already adopted in Ireland, two of Europe’s main data centre markets. In both cases, the measures seek to address the impact of these major consumers on the electricity sector and on decarbonisation targets.
It is in this context that the concept of Bring Your Own Energy (BYOE) is gaining traction, based on the idea that data centre operators should secure, on their own initiative, the energy required for their operations rather than relying exclusively on the electricity grid. In the United States, the debate has followed a different approach, through the concept of Bring Your Own Generation (BYOG), which is technology-neutral and focused on protecting electricity consumers.
In Portugal, there is currently no BYOE policy, but the legal framework already includes mechanisms such as renewable self-consumption, energy storage and PPAs, which may support electricity self-supply solutions.
Catarina Brito Ferreira concludes that Europe faces the challenge of balancing security of supply and decarbonisation priorities with the need to remain competitive and attract investment in technology and digital infrastructure.
Read the full article on Advocatu’s website.
