Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364 of 14 March 2024 on the first phase of the establishment of a common Union rating scheme for data centres

Overview

The regulation rests on Article 33(3) of Directive (EU) 2023/1791 and establishes the first phase of a common Union scheme for rating data centre sustainability. Its recitals note that data centre electricity demand is expected to reach 3.2% of the EU total by 2030, a 28% increase since 2018. Scope covers operators of data centres with installed information technology power demand of at least 500 kW. The operator is the reporting entity, and a separate set of information and KPIs is communicated for every distinct physical location, including each data centre within a campus.

Under Article 3, the first reports are due by 15 September 2024, then by 15 May 2025 and every year thereafter, covering the preceding calendar year; a site operating less than a year reports only the period in operation. In the first reporting period, operators unable to monitor certain KPIs for technical reasons may omit them with an explanation. For the first two periods colocation operators unable to gather the data may estimate and state the percentage of computer room floor area the data cover. Data go through a national scheme if one exists, otherwise directly to the European database.

Annex I asks for site identity (name, owner and operator, LAU code, type, year and month of entry into operation) and operating information: electrical redundancy level (high voltage, low voltage line-up, rack) and cooling redundancy (room, rack). Annex II sets KPIs with measurement methods: installed IT power, total and computer room floor area, total energy (EN 50600-4-2 or equivalent, with the back-up generator share separate), IT energy (annual energy at every UPS), grid functions, total water input (EN 50600-4-9), reused waste heat (EN 50600-4-6), waste heat temperature, setpoint intake air temperature, refrigerant types, cooling degree days (21 °C base) and renewable energy (EN 50600-4-3).

Total energy is measured at the system input before the supply transfer switchgear, at every primary, secondary and additional supply including back-up generation. IT energy is measured under the category 1 PUE method at every UPS; sites without a UPS, such as dc data centres, may measure at the PDU, by the category 2 method or at a point they specify. Only heat used outside the data centre boundary counts as reused, and waste heat temperature is measured where the heated fluid enters the heat exchanger at the computer room boundary. Records of measurement points and devices must be kept for at least 10 years. Annex II also covers ICT capacity (SERT active-state performance for servers, petabytes for storage) and data traffic indicators.

Annex III defines four indicators: PUE = EDC/EIT, WUE = WIN/EIT (EIT in MWh), ERF = EREUSE/EDC and REF = ERES-TOT/EDC. Annex IV states that data become public only in aggregated form at Member State and Union level, in size categories of very small 100-500 kW, small 500-1000 kW, medium 1-2 MW, large 2-10 MW and very large above 10 MW; aggregation is weighted by total energy consumption and a category is shown only if it holds at least three data centres. Individual site data stay confidential. This is a binding legal text: it sets no limit values, it fixes the scope and method of reporting.

Key points

1. Data centre electricity demand is projected to reach 3.2% of total EU demand by 2030, a 28% increase over 2018.
2. Reporting obligations apply to operators of data centres with installed information technology power demand of at least 500 kW.
3. First reports were due by 15 September 2024, then by 15 May 2025 and every year after, covering the preceding calendar year.
4. Energy supplied by back-up generators (EDC-BG, kWh) must be measured separately from total data centre energy consumption.
5. Total energy is measured at the system input before the supply transfer switchgear at every primary, secondary and additional supply; IT energy is measured as annual energy at every UPS.
6. Total water input (WIN) is reported in cubic metres using the EN 50600-4-9 WUE Category 2 method where possible, covering all water entering the data centre boundary.
7. Average waste heat temperature (TWH, °C) is measured where the heated fluid enters the heat exchanger at the computer room boundary, averaged over the year.
8. Indicators: PUE = EDC/EIT; WUE = WIN/EIT (EIT in MWh); ERF = EREUSE/EDC; REF = ERES-TOT/EDC.
9. Public size categories by installed IT power: very small 100-500 kW, small 500-1000 kW, medium 1-2 MW, large 2-10 MW, very large above 10 MW.
10. Aggregated PUE, WUE, ERF and REF are energy-weighted and published for a category only if it holds at least three data centres.

Using it in design

• Build the metering architecture to the regulation: meters on every supply input for total energy (grid and back-up generator separately) and at every UPS output for IT energy, with a system that retains measurement point and device records for at least 10 years.
• For water, provide metering on every source entering the boundary (potable water separately), and for waste heat a heat meter at the boundary; only heat handed over outside the data centre counts as reused.
• In cooling and waste heat design, make fluid temperature at the computer room boundary and the average setpoint intake air temperature measurable over the year.
• Document electrical and cooling redundancy levels (high voltage, line-up, rack; room, rack) in N+1, 2N terms; Annex I makes them reportable.
• Track refrigerant types and renewable sources (guarantees of origin, PPA, on-site generation) separately; REF uses the sum of the three.
• For dc or UPS-less architectures, define the PDU or other point where IT energy will be measured at the start and confirm its fit with the category 2 method.

Who should read it

Electrical and mechanical engineers, operators and compliance teams who design EU data centres and define the metering and reporting architecture.

Document contents

1. Recitals
2. Article 1 - Subject matter and scope
3. Article 2 - Definitions
4. Article 3 - Reporting mechanism for the sustainability of data centres
5. Article 4 - Data centre sustainability indicators
6. Article 5 - European database on data centres
7. Article 6 - Entry into force
8. Annex I - Information to be communicated to the European database on data centres
9. Annex II - Key performance indicators to be monitored, gathered and communicated, and the measurement methodologies
10. Annex II, Part 1 - Energy and sustainability indicators
11. Annex II, Part 2 - ICT capacity indicators
12. Annex II, Part 3 - Data traffic indicators
13. Annex III - Data centre sustainability indicators and calculation methodologies
14. Annex IV - Publicly available information in the European database on data centres

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Publication details

Authors

European Commission

Publisher

European Commission (Official Journal of the European Union)

Year

2024

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