Energy Efficiency Directive Published

The revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive was published today (20th September 2023) and as expected includes specific requirements for #datacentres as follows:

Article 12
Data centres
1. By 15 May 2024 and every year thereafter, Member States shall require owners and operators of data centres in their
territory with a power demand of the installed information technology (IT) of at least 500kW, to make the information set
out in Annex VII publicly available, except for information subject to Union and national law protecting trade and business
secrets and confidentiality.
2. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to data centres used for, or providing their services exclusively with the final aim of,
defence and civil protection.
3. The Commission shall establish a European database on data centres that includes information communicated by the
obligated data centres in accordance with paragraph 1. The European database shall be publicly available on an aggregated
level.
4. Member States shall encourage owners and operators of data centres in their territory with a power demand of the
installed IT equal to or greater than 1 MW to take into account the best practices referred to in the most recent version of
the European Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency.
5. By 15 May 2025, the Commission shall assess the available data on the energy efficiency of data centres submitted to
it pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 3 and shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council, accompanied,
where appropriate, by legislative proposals containing further measures to improve energy efficiency, including
establishing minimum performance standards and an assessment on the feasibility of transition towards a net-zero
emission data centres sector, in close consultation with the relevant stakeholders. Such proposals may establish a
timeframe within which existing data centres are to be required to meet minimum performance.

And an associated annex:

ANNEX VII
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR MONITORING AND PUBLISHING THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF DATA CENTRES
The following minimum information shall be monitored and published with regard to the energy performance of data
centres referred to in Article 12:
(a) the name of the data centre, the name of the owner and operators of the data centre, the date on which the data centre
started its operations and the municipality where the data centre is based;
(b) the floor area of the data centre, the installed power, the annual incoming and outgoing data traffic, and the amount of
data stored and processed within the data centre;
(c) the performance, during the last full calendar year, of the data centre in accordance with key performance indicators
about, inter alia, energy consumption, power utilisation, temperature set points, waste heat utilisation, water usage and
use of renewable energy, using as a basis, where applicable, the CEN/CENELEC EN 50600-4 ‘Information technology –
Data centre facilities and infrastructures’, until the entry into force of the delegated act adopted pursuant to
Article 33(3).

We welcome the statement that operators above 1MW should use the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres (Energy Efficiency)(EUCOC).

As we have been working with the EUCOC since 2010 we are able to offer consultancy and practical assistance to operators, contact us on info@carbon3it.com