Data center energy consumption is rapidly escalating due to the expansion of artificial intelligence, cloud services, and digital platforms, creating an unprecedented challenge for local electrical grids.
According to updated Snam data, data centers currently absorb about 6 percent of Italy’s electricity demand. This share is projected to double to 11 to 12 percent—roughly 40 TWh, or the annual consumption of 10 million families—within fifteen years. Globally, BloombergNEF estimates that the electricity demand of these facilities will nearly quadruple by 2035.
These facilities consume electricity in a flat, constant pattern day and night, failing to respond to pricing signals. While a power line or power plant takes four to ten years to build, a data center can be constructed in just 12 to 18 months. This temporal mismatch strains local power grids.
Environmental Pressures and Geographic Concentration
The footprint of these facilities extends beyond megawatt consumption, exerting direct pressure on ecosystems and local communities through intensive resource use and localized pollution.
The International Energy Agency projects that global water consumption for server cooling will double by 2030, reaching 1.2 trillion liters annually. At the local level, these complexes generate urban heat islands, continuous noise and light pollution, and emissions from large emergency diesel generators.
Italy currently hosts 273 data centers with a total installed capacity of 609 MW, according to the Politecnico di Milano. The primary challenge is not the aggregate number, but geographic polarization.
Specifically, 38 percent of the facilities and over two-thirds of the total power capacity, totaling 414 MW, are concentrated in the Milan area due to fiber networks, high-voltage lines, and proximity to the Mix internet node. This high density consumes agricultural land and sparks local opposition.
Fossil Fuel Reliance and the Shift to Self-Generation
Because public electrical grids cannot guarantee hookups within market timeframes, major technology companies have begun building dedicated power generation facilities. BloombergNEF data indicates that there are already 181 GW of data center projects worldwide tied to natural gas power generation.
“The current model of generative AI development is proving structurally unsustainable from an environmental standpoint, to the point of driving a dangerous regression toward fossil fuels,” Giuseppe Milano, general secretary of Greenaccord, told agensir.it.
Infrastructure Integration at COP31
The integration of digital infrastructure into international climate negotiations highlights the necessity of aligning technological expansion with global decarbonization targets.
The European Copernicus service recorded 2026 temperatures stably above the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, accompanied by extreme droughts affecting the Rhine and Danube rivers alongside Mediterranean floods.
Discussions at COP31 in Turkey center on the “35 by 35” initiative, which aims to increase clean electricity to 35 percent of global consumption by 2035. Incorporating data centers into these climate summits seeks to prevent digital expansion from acting as a catalyst for fossil fuel usage.
Public Planning and Heat Recovery Mitigate Environmental Impact
Mitigating the environmental impact of digital infrastructure requires structured public planning, strict energy efficiency thresholds, and the recovery of waste heat.
European practices currently capture a minimal fraction of waste heat for district heating networks, whereas other nations enforce stricter requirements. Germany mandates rigorous energy efficiency thresholds, mandatory heat reuse of up to 20 percent, and 100 percent renewable energy usage starting in 2027. Ireland requires new large-scale facilities to self-produce their energy via renewables, and Spain has replaced the “first-come, first-served” model with competitive public auctions.
“Only by returning tangible value to the territory through free heat, urban redevelopment, and the protection of water resources can AI legitimize itself as a driver of truly sustainable, inclusive, and lasting development,” Milano told agensir.it.
