# LLM Context
URL: https://weeg.it/notizie/addio-greenwashing-direttiva-empcosostenibilita/

# The Data Center Boom in Italy: The Energy and Business Challenge Behind 95 GW of New Grid Requests

> The article examines the rapid growth of data-center connection requests in Italy and the resulting energy-management challenge, focusing on market concentration, PUE optimization, immersion cooling, renewable-energy procurement, cogeneration, and zero-CAPEX EPC models.

## Page details

- **Source language:** Italian
- **Content type:** News article
- **Original title:** Il Boom dei Data Center in Italia: La Sfida Energetica (e di Business) dietro i 95 GW di Nuove Richieste a Terna
- **English title:** The Data Center Boom in Italy: The Energy and Business Challenge Behind 95 GW of New Grid Requests
- **Source URL:** https://weeg.it/notizie/data-center-in-italia-2026-soluzioni-energetiche/
- **Summary:** The page describes the surge in Italian data-center grid-connection requests, the gap between potential and advanced projects, the concentration in Lombardy, and energy solutions for improving efficiency and reducing financial exposure.

## Data-center growth and electricity demand

The page states that Italy is becoming a strategic European digital-infrastructure hub and a bridge to the Mediterranean. According to Terna data cited in the article, requests for grid connection from new data centers reached **95.38 GW as of August 21, 2026**, compared with about **1 GW in 2021**.

Under Terna's most challenging scenarios cited by the page, if all projects were implemented, national final electricity consumption could increase by up to **17%**.

## Geography and project maturity

The article reports **531 applications**, with **300 applications totaling 58.7 GW** submitted since the start of 2026.

- **Lombardy:** 290 requests totaling 46 GW, with the Milan area presented as Italy's primary data-center hub.
- **Advanced projects:** only 15 projects, totaling 1.88 GW, are stated to have reached an advanced authorization stage identified as the TICA phase.
- **Applicant profile:** about 60% of requests are attributed to real-estate and logistics companies, 30% to general development companies, and 10% directly to established data-center operators, hyperscalers, or specialized infrastructure funds.

## PUE and thermal-load management

For enterprise operators and regional cloud providers, the article presents energy management as a major factor in data-center bankability and profitability.

It cites a global average **Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.56** for traditional data centers and states that thermal management can consume **30-40%** of total site electricity. The technical and commercial target proposed by the page is to reduce PUE below **1.3**.

## Immersion cooling

The page identifies immersion cooling as a technology for reducing cooling demand. By immersing servers in dielectric fluids, it states that cooling consumption can be reduced by **40-60%** compared with traditional air-based HVAC systems, potentially bringing facility PUE close to **1.1** and reducing total cost of ownership.

## Renewable energy and Green PPA

The article states that cloud customers increasingly require certified renewable energy to meet supply-chain ESG and Scope 3 targets.

White Energy Group presents **Green PPA — Power Purchase Agreement** solutions based on photovoltaic self-generation or off-site agreements. The stated goals are long-term renewable-energy supply, more predictable energy costs, protection from electricity-market volatility, and ESG compliance.

## Cogeneration

The page also presents **Cogeneration (CHP)** as a solution for data centers. High-efficiency engines can generate electricity for servers while recovering waste heat to power absorption chillers, with the stated aim of lowering cooling costs and increasing infrastructure resilience and uptime.

## Zero-CAPEX EPC model

White Energy Group states that these solutions can be delivered through **Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs)**. Under the model described on the page, White Energy acts as an ESCo, finances the initial investment so that the data center has **zero initial CAPEX**, and provides contractual guarantees on efficiency performance over time.

## Related links

- [Terna grid-connection information](https://www.terna.it/it/sistema-elettrico/programmazione-territoriale-efficiente/connessione-rete)
- [White Energy solutions for the ICT and digital sector](https://weeg.it/soluzioni-energetiche-per-settori-aziendali/settore-ict-e-tecnologie-digitali/)
- [Green PPA](https://weeg.it/soluzioni-energetiche-per-aziende/esco-energy-performance-solutions/contratti-ppa/)
- [Cogeneration plants](https://weeg.it/soluzioni-energetiche-per-aziende/esco-energy-performance-solutions/impianti-di-cogenerazione/)
- [Contact White Energy](https://weeg.it/contact/)