Los centros de datos temen que la nueva ley limite su competitividad

Spain's data center industry worries that new legislation could decrease their competitiveness. SpainDC, Ametic, and Aelec have expressed the need for the ongoing regulation to provide legal certainty and prevent investment losses to other European countries. The Spanish association representing data centers is concerned about the government's proposal, which demands that 80% of a data center's energy consumption comes from renewable sources.

This energy must also be additional, meaning that for every megawatt consumed, a new megawatt of renewable energy must be installed within 18 months of the facility's operation. The government met yesterday with SpainDC and Ametic to discuss the regulatory proposal. SpainDC values the main goals of the proposal but believes that goals should be achievable through a reasonable regulation that is technically feasible and aligned with the European framework.

The association emphasizes the necessity of avoiding measures that could place Spain at a disadvantage compared to other EU countries competing for the same investments. Spain has a unique opportunity (...), and any regulatory framework should contribute to harnessing it, not endangering it. Spain cannot afford to become one of the most challenging European markets for developing digital infrastructure due to regulatory decisions, the association adds.

The electric industry association (Aelec) welcomes the regulatory framework work to organize the sector and stresses the importance of synchronizing and promoting the growth of new energy demand linked to data center projects with decarbonization and the development of the electrical system. Regulation should provide legal certainty and predictability to ensure investments materialize, preventing requirements from hindering the development of demand that we need, the electric industry association values.

Ametic highlights that the new legislation should avoid fragmentation that could reduce competitiveness while providing legal certainty, attracting new investments, and staying aligned with European policies. Aragon, which has more data center projects, is one of the regions with the most concerns. Aragon's economy minister, Eva Valle, expressed yesterday's disappointment that the government did not contact regional governments to inform them about the legislative proposal.