On August 27, 2026, the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) opened public consultation on the draft Royal Decree regulating sustainability requirements applicable to data centers. The draft introduces two particularly demanding requirements: additionally, which requires that 80% of consumption be covered by renewable sources through self-consumption or long-term PPA, and hourly matching, which determines that energy consumed in each hour must be backed by renewable electricity generated in that same hour.
Ireland, through the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), published in December 2025 a similar decision that subordinates the connection of data centers to the cumulative verification of two requirements: production and/or storage capacity equivalent to the maximum import capacity, and at least 80% of annual consumption from additional national renewable electricity projects.
In the United States, the paradigm diverges, with the American Bring Your Own Generation (BYOG) model being technology-neutral. The White House launched in March 2026 the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a voluntary commitment subscribed to by seven major hyperscalers, not specifying the type of energy source. The International Energy Agency estimates that between 15 GW and 27 GW of natural gas local generation capacity could supply electricity to data centers by 2030.
In Portugal, the regulatory framework does not enshrine BYOE policies, but already has a scheme for publishing information on the energy performance of data centers approved by Decree-Law No. 84/2024, of November 4. Europe faces the challenge of balancing supply security and decarbonization priorities with attracting investment in technology and digital infrastructure.
