Portugal Sets Strict Rules for Data Centres
Portugal plans to require all new data centres to use renewable energy and water-free cooling technologies. Environment Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho said the new decree protects public supplies amid a data centre boom.
Portugal will require new data centres to run on renewable energy and use water-free cooling systems under strict new regulations, Environment Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho said on Tuesday afternoon. The measures aim to protect public supplies during a boom that has brought 2.6 gigawatts of projects to the country. Microsoft Corp is backing the largest of these developments, the 1.2-gigawatt Start Campus project in Sines.
The new decree will subject facilities to rigorous environmental reviews and mandate cooling technologies that avoid fresh water. Operators can purchase renewable power from utilities, leveraging the country's solar, wind, and hydropower resources.
