The European Commission has proposed sustainability labels for data centers and opened a consultation on minimum performance standards. The measures would make facilities’ energy and water use easier to compare and prepare the ground for EU-wide requirements.
The package announced Monday builds on reporting rules introduced in 2024. Those rules cover data centers with installed IT power demand of at least 500 kilowatts. Smaller facilities would be able to join the rating system voluntarily.
The labels would show electricity and water efficiency, use of low-emission energy, and whether a facility provides services to the electricity grid. They would also show whether it is equipped to supply waste heat to outside users, such as a district-heating network.
That heat-reuse indicator concerns the facility’s ability to capture and supply heat at its boundary. Under the proposed rules, a data center could qualify even if the external network needed to carry the heat to customers had not been built.
The labels would also indicate whether electricity purchases support additional clean generation. The Commission’s examples include contracts with renewable or nuclear plants built or substantially refurbished within the previous 10 years.
The rating rules face a two-month scrutiny period in the European Parliament and Council before entering into force. The regulation calls for the first electronic labels to be generated by August 15, 2027, with new labels issued annually.
Operators already submit information to a European database, which would generate the labels automatically. The Commission says using existing submissions would avoid a separate reporting burden. The labels would be publicly accessible through the database.
Minimum performance standards are at an earlier stage. A 12-week consultation is open until December 14, and the Commission plans to propose legislation in the second quarter of 2027.
The consultation covers potential requirements for energy efficiency, water use, waste-heat reuse and services to the grid. The Commission wants new or retrofitted facilities to meet minimum performance levels, but those levels have yet to be set.
The Commission’s assessment finds that electricity and water efficiency and clean-energy sourcing have improved. It also says growth in installed capacity is bringing higher total consumption of electricity and water.
Spain is separately preparing data-center rules under its IA360 program, with approval targeted for October. They would cover energy use, environmental sustainability, resilience and digital sovereignty.
The Commission says common EU standards could reduce conflicting national requirements. Industry, public authorities and other interested parties can submit evidence and views on the proposed minimum standards until December 14.
Sources: European Commission, European Commission, European Commission
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By the Control Plane Editorial Team