Council rejects 80MW data center in northern Italy

Municipality argues the plans go against its environmental policy

A city council in the Italian region of Lombardy has refused plans for an 80MW data center following environmental concerns.

Cologno Monzese City Council unanimously rejected developer Officine Mak and 2C Sviluppo Immobiliare Spa’s proposal for a large complex in the former Torriani industrial site, according to local media reports.

It was expected that the project would have generated €12 million ($13.4m) in fees for the council.

Officine Mak had submitted a request for two data center buildings and related infrastructure and facilities on Via Guzzina, next to the Brugherio municipality.

But a resolution on 24 September said that the project’s “massive and ongoing water and electricity consumption, high land footprint, and structural production of complex technological waste” conflict with the municipality's strategic and environmental objectives.

“The submitted proposal does not fully comply with the requirements of the PGT [territorial government plan],” said the council resolution reported in Il Giorno.

“The strategic objectives require us to lead Cologno Monzese toward the model of an eco-sustainable, circular and intelligent city, focused on the regeneration of existing buildings, energy efficiency, protection of water resources, and the structural expansion of biodiversity and urban forests."

Lombardy, particularly the Milan metropolitan area, is experiencing rapid data center expansion driven by AI demand, with the region expected to add 2GW of capacity over the next five years.

This data center boom has triggered significant opposition from residents and local politicians concerned about the environmental footprint of large facilities. A 240MW facility planned in Magenta faced a backlash this summer, while plans for a 120MW data center in Travagliato were withdrawn last month.

In June, Lombardy approved the first dedicated regional framework in Italy designed to regulate the explosive growth of digital infrastructure.

The law is intended to promote the sustainability of new developments and their construction on brownfield sites, among other measures.

Learn more about the data center market in Italy and Southern Europe, and meet with other executives and experts from the region at the DCN Milan event next year

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