{
  "id": 6434147,
  "title": "En Europe, les datacenters devraient construire leurs installations d’énergie propre, selon Teresa Ribera",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/en-europe-les-datacenters-devraient-construire-leurs-installations",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-09T14:52:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/en-europe-les-datacenters-devraient-construire-leur-propre-installation-denergie-propre-selon-teresa-ribera/"
  },
  "original_language": "fr",
  "account": "Brussels — The European Union should compel tech giants to invest in clean energy sources for their data centers' power needs, according to Teresa Ribera, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Clean, Just, and Competitive Transition. Ribera warned that highly energy-intensive infrastructure powering artificial intelligence is increasingly straining electric grids, leading to fierce competition for energy and potentially driving up bills. \"It's been a shock, and it's happening at a frenetic pace,\" she explained. In 2022, while determining how to transition to fully electric and clean energy, she noted they hadn't anticipated such a surge in electricity demand. Regardless of how swiftly they plan networks and new green energy capacities, demand is growing rapidly, creating tensions. Ribera proposed three options for governments: doing nothing and facing escalating economic and social tensions due to prices continually rising; imposing a moratorium on data center construction, as seen in some U.S. regions; or requiring operators to generate their own energy. She believes tech giants have the means to consider the third option. \"The companies at the heart of this activity concentrate unprecedented market power and capabilities. So, we can, for lack of a better term, ask them to invest in what they'd need and ensure it avoids new conflicts with local populations,\" she argued. When asked if the EU should force Big Tech to fund their clean energy supply, Ribera said, \"I believe we should.\" These comments come as the Commission works on new energy efficiency standards for data centers. European Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen emphasized in late May that companies building data centers in Europe must commit to aligning with the continent's climate and energy goals. However, European Data Centre Association (EDCA) President Lex Coors argued in June that Europe should prioritize artificial intelligence over immediate climate ambitions, warning of losing technological sovereignty to China. Meanwhile, governments are also struggling to manage the rapid increase in AI infrastructure energy demand and prevent greenhouse gas emissions from rising due to their energy consumption. Last year, Ireland lifted its moratorium on new constructions, provided new data centers have on-site renewable energy sources for power. Ribera highlighted a Spanish government decree, unveiled last month, which would require data centers to get 80% of their electricity from recent wind and solar installations, either on-site or via long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) sourced exclusively from renewables. However, she cautioned that these PPAs could create tensions with other energy consumers: \"If these data centers sign PPAs with electricity suppliers, this [energy] become their primary raw material and they could pay higher prices than our base-load electricity industry can afford.\" She added that developing new electricity generation capacity takes time, which could have repercussions for sustainability, fair competition, or competitiveness for European industries in producing goods. Given the rapid development of AI and the number of data centers seeking grid connections in Europe, Ribera urged authorities to act swiftly to implement regulation. \"We're talking months, not decades, and likely not even years,\" she stressed.",
  "summary": "La hausse de la demande en électricité pour les besoins de l’IA risque d’entraîner une concurrence acharnée pour l’accès à l’énergie et de faire grimper les factures, a prévenu la commissaire européenne responsable de la transition écologique.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}