• Spain's draft decree would require data centres with at least 1MW of grid-access capacity to match 80% of electricity use with renewable generation hour by hour
  • Repeated serious breaches could eventually put grid-access rights at risk, while Spain DC and Aragón are pushing for changes before the decree is finalised

The fact

Spain has closed consultation on a draft decree that would attach new energy, water and digital-sovereignty requirements to grid access for data centres with at least 1MW of access capacity. The consultation ran from 27 August to 10 September.

The draft would require at least 80% of a data centre's electricity use in each operating hour to be matched with renewable generation produced during that same hour. The renewable supply would also have to be additional, using capacity installed within the 18 months before the centre starts operating. Repeated serious breaches could ultimately lead to the loss of grid-access rights.

The government says more than 12GW of grid access has already been granted to data-centre projects. Spain DC has warned that the proposed rules could put €9 billion of planned investment at risk, while Aragón has called for the decree to be substantially revised. The proposal can still change before it becomes law.

The assessment

The hourly requirement is much harder to meet than buying enough renewable electricity over a year. A data centre could have a large renewable PPA and still fall short during hours when the contracted wind or solar projects are producing less power. That means developers would need to think about the shape of their electricity supply as well as the total amount they buy. Storage, different renewable sources, or other arrangements may help cover difficult hours, but the final decree will decide what can actually count towards compliance.

For BTW readers, the rule is still only a proposal, but developers cannot ignore it while planning new Spanish capacity. Projects built around annual renewable matching could face a very different procurement problem if the government keeps the hourly test and links repeated breaches to grid access.

What to watch

Watch the revised decree after the government reviews the consultation responses. The main questions are whether the 80% hourly requirement survives, how existing projects are treated and exactly how non-compliance is measured. Those details will show how much developers need to change power contracts and project designs before connecting to the grid.