Energy efficiency in data centres

(1) Data centres that commence or have commenced operation before 1 July 2026 must be constructed and operated in such a way that, from 1 July 2027, they permanently achieve a power usage effectiveness of less than or equal to 1.5 and, from 1 July 2030, a power usage effectiveness of less than or equal to 1.3 on an annual average.

(2) Data centres that commence operation on or after 1 July 2026 must be constructed and operated in such a way that they achieve a power usage effectiveness of less than or equal to 1.2 and a share of reused energy of at least 10 per cent; at least 15 per cent from 1 July 2027 and at least 20 per cent from 1 July 2028.

(5) Operators of data centres must cover 50 per cent of their electricity consumption from renewable energy sources on a balance-sheet basis from 1 January 2024, and 100 per cent from 1 January 2027.

(1) Without prejudice to § 8, operators of data centres are obliged to establish an energy or environmental management system by 1 July 2025.

(3) For data centres with a non-redundant rated connected load of 1 megawatt or more, the management system must be validated or certified from 1 January 2026.

(1) Operators of data centres are obliged to publish information about their data centre in accordance with Annex 3 for the preceding calendar year, and to submit it to the federal government, by the end of 31 March each year.

The federal government is establishing an energy efficiency register for data centres in which the information submitted pursuant to § 13(1) is stored and transferred to a European database on data centres.

Where operators of data centres offer services to third parties (customers), they are obliged, from 1 January 2024, to report to those customers the annual energy consumption directly attributable to them.