On 21 September, the European Commission adopted the Delegated Regulation establishing the EU's common rating scheme for data centres. The scheme will assign sustainability labels, on a scale from A to G, to data centres with an installed IT power demand of 500 kW or above, with first labels due by 15 August 2027. The act now enters a two-month scrutiny period before the European Parliament and the Council.
Data centres are a foundational enabler of Europe's digital economy, providing the infrastructure behind cloud services, AI capacity and digital public services that businesses, governments and citizens rely on daily. As responsible energy users, the sector has already made sustainability a core part of its growth path and is continuing to play an active role in Europe's energy transition, with investment in efficiency, renewable and carbon-free energy procurement, supporting grid integration and enabling heat reuse where viable.
EUDCA welcomes the Commission's objective of establishing a clear and comparable framework for data centre sustainability. A well-designed rating scheme can enhance transparency, support the data centre sector’s contribution to the Union's climate and digital objectives, and help customers, investors and policymakers better understand the sustainability performance of digital infrastructure.
As the scheme moves towards implementation, EUDCA looks forward to continuing its constructive engagement with the Commission. Practical experience with the rating scheme will provide valuable opportunities to further strengthen the methodology through implementation, the scheduled 2028 review and the forthcoming consultation on Minimum Performance Standards. In particular, EUDCA sees opportunities to ensure that the framework includes these critical aspects as it goes through scrutiny and towards the 2028 review:
- Keep indicators technology-neutral and standards-based. The new Low-Emission Energy Factor (LEEF) recognises nuclear alongside renewable energy, but does not yet cover all carbon-free energy sources or align with recognised CEN, CENELEC or ISO standards. The scheme should reward sustainability outcomes, regardless of the technology used to achieve them.
- Account for climate. Hotter climates inherently require more energy and, depending on the cooling system, more water to keep data centres within operating temperatures. A single restrictive PUE and WUE rating scale across Europe can therefore penalise not only highly efficient operators whose performance is influenced by climatic conditions beyond their control but also could place additional financial pressure on smaller operators and, more broadly, risk distorting investment decisions by discouraging data centre development in regions where climatic conditions result in structurally higher energy or water-use metrics.
- Build on Europe’s renewable energy investment. The rating scheme provides an opportunity to recognise both new and existing renewable energy generation. Avoiding age limits for generating assets would ensure that established renewable projects remain valued, while consistent rules across sectors can continue to support investment in new clean energy capacity.
- Make heat reuse practical. Data centres should be ready to connect to a heat network when a viable customer exists. Requiring equipment before the customer and its technical needs are known risks stranded investment or later redesign. A design-ready approach ensures investment is made when it can actually deliver useful heat.
EUDCA, representing around 60% of Europe’s commercial data centre capacity, looks forward to continuing its constructive engagement with the Commission throughout the rating scheme implementation, the 2028 review and the forthcoming consultation on Minimum Performance Standards. The rating scheme should support the direction Europe has already set: advancing the green and digital transition, accelerating electrification and delivering the ambitions of the Clean Industrial Deal, while strengthening European competitiveness. Europe’s climate, digital and AI ambitions increasingly depend on each other - and on continued investment in efficient, sustainable and well-integrated digital infrastructure.
Contact
EUDCA Secretariat | secretariat@eudca.org | www.eudca.org
About EUDCA
The European Data Centre Association (EUDCA) represents the interests of the European data centre community. Established in 2011, the EUDCA is the voice of the industry, with a diverse membership which includes European and international data centre operators, equipment suppliers, and a network of national trade associations. Our policies and initiatives are consistently centred around data centre operators, both in defining the data centre of the future and in regulating markets.
The EUDCA has been at the forefront of the energy transition efforts of the data centre industry. As co-founder of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, the EUDCA is deeply committed to taking the industry on the road to climate neutrality by 2030. As the voice of the industry, we call on European policymakers to help us realise this vision.