Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the energy efficiency of data centres in the EU - COM(2026) 500 final

Overview

The report, under Article 12(5) of Directive (EU) 2023/1791 (EED), assesses the available data on the energy efficiency and sustainability of EU data centres based on submissions to the European database. The introduction sets the context: EU data centres consumed 68 TWh of electricity in 2024 and this is expected to reach 114 TWh by 2030 (3.2% of EU electricity demand), with projections possibly revised upwards because of the adoption of artificial intelligence. The report is part of the data centre package of the 13 June 2025 energy efficiency roadmap and is dated 21 September 2026.

First-period data rests on the reporting obligation for data centres with at least 500 kW of installed IT power. 770 data centres reported, about 36% of the estimated in-scope total; six Member States reported none and five reported fewer than three. About 70.1% of the reported data were deemed reliable. Four indicators are computed: PUE, WUE (total water input over IT energy), ERF (energy reused over total consumption) and REF (renewable energy over total consumption). Averages are weighted by each facility's energy consumption.

The results: the average reported EU PUE in 2024 is 1.36 (681 reliable sites); national values range from 1.15 to 1.66 and the analysis indicates climate is not the main factor. Small centres of 500-1000 kW reported 1.64 on average. Average WUE is 0.58 m3/MWh (range 0.07-1.28) and most sites missed the CNDCP 0.4 target. Only 67 data centres reported some waste heat reuse, with about 1.8% of generated heat reused. The weighted average REF is 0.86, and over 70% of sites already match 100% of electricity with renewables on an annual basis.

Chapter 3 presents next steps: simplifying the reporting scheme (for example removing data traffic indicators and adding nuclear energy consumption), the adopted second Delegated Regulation establishing the common EU rating scheme, a public consultation on minimum performance standards and the feasibility of a net-zero transition. The report cites an IEA estimate that minimum standards could save almost 20 TWh a year in Europe and judges a separate climate-neutrality regulation unnecessary for now. Its limit is the 36% first-period coverage and data inconsistencies, so the figures are a starting point, not a representative picture.

Key points

1. EU data centres consumed 68 TWh of electricity in 2024, expected to reach 114 TWh by 2030 (3.2% of EU electricity).
2. 770 data centres reported in the first period (May-September 2024), about 36% of the estimated in-scope population; six Member States reported none, five fewer than three, and about 70.1% of the data were judged reliable.
3. Average reported EU PUE in 2024 was 1.36 (energy-weighted, 681 reliable sites); national values 1.15-1.66; small data centres of 500-1000 kW averaged 1.64.
4. The report's practical PUE bands: below 1.2 excellent, 1.2-1.5 good, above 1.5 room for improvement; for comparison the 2023 global average was 1.58 and the US average 1.4.
5. Average reported WUE was 0.58 m3/MWh, ranging from 0.07 to 1.28 by Member State; most sites missed the CNDCP 0.4 m3/MWh target.
6. Only 67 data centres reported waste heat reuse; about 1.8% of generated heat is reused, and reuse from small facilities is typically not economically feasible.
7. Weighted average REF was 0.86; over 70% of sites match 100% of electricity with renewables annually, but much comes through PPAs and guarantees of origin not necessarily tied to local production or new capacity.
8. Roughly half of reporting data centres exceed a recommended PUE baseline of 1.5 and/or WUE baseline of 0.4; the IEA estimates minimum performance standards could save around 65 TWh a year globally, almost 20 TWh in Europe.
9. A second Delegated Regulation establishing the common EU rating scheme was adopted; labels will be generated automatically from the reporting platform and be publicly accessible. A public consultation and impact assessment on minimum performance standards were launched.
10. Of data centres reporting refrigerant type, only 15% declared a refrigerant with a global warming impact below 150 tonnes of CO2-equivalent.

Using it in design

• Set the PUE target for new designs against the bands in the report (below 1.2 excellent, above 1.5 needs improvement) and possible future minimum-standard thresholds, noting that the 500-1000 kW class averaged 1.64.
• Calculate WUE at the start of design (total water input / IT energy) and use the 0.4 m3/MWh target as a constraint in cooling technology choice (dry or adiabatic cooling).
• For waste heat reuse assess from the outset the heat off-taker (district heating) and heat readiness (temperature, continuity); the report names seasonality and lack of off-takers as the main barriers.
• Document renewable supply for REF by source (on-site generation, PPA, guarantees of origin), additionality and temporal matching; the report says these will receive more attention.
• In refrigerant selection consider options below 150 GWP; the reporting scheme asks for refrigerant type.
• For facilities with 500 kW or more of IT power add the EED Article 12 reporting obligation and possible labelling to the project requirements.

Who should read it

Data centre owners and designers, and policy and compliance teams following EU reporting, rating and prospective minimum performance standards.

Document contents

1. 1. Introduction
2. 2. Assessment of available data on the sustainability of data centres in the EU
3. 2.1. Completeness and quality of the available data
4. 2.2. Assessment of the energy efficiency and sustainability of European data centres
5. 2.2.1. Assessment of the Power Usage Effectiveness
6. 2.2.2. Assessment of the Water Usage Effectiveness
7. 2.2.3. Assessment of the Energy Reuse Factor
8. 2.2.4. Assessment of the Renewable Energy Factor
9. 3. Next steps and legislative proposals towards a more sustainable data centre sector
10. 3.1 Simplification and improvement of the reporting scheme
11. 3.2. Proposal for the establishment of a common EU rating scheme for data centres
12. 3.3 Proposal for the establishment of minimum performance standards for data centres
13. 3.4. Assessment of the feasibility of a transition towards a net-zero emission data centre sector
14. 4. Conclusion

Related standards

• Directive (EU) 2023/1791
• Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364
• C(2026) 3472
• EN 50600-4

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Publication details

Authors

European Commission

Publisher

European Commission

Year

2026

Document number

COM(2026) 500 final

Document language

English

Source type

Government / public

Access

Open licence — downloadable

Licence

EU reuse (2011/833/EU) — reuse permitted with acknowledgement of the source

Licence evidence

eur-lex.europa.eu

Citation