Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Norway, measure by measure. EU-wide rules are listed once. National and regional or local rules are shown side by side, each with its status, effective date and source.
| Measures | Denmark | Germany | Sweden | Norway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU-wide / supranational | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| National | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| Regional / local | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 13 | 17 | 10 | 1 |
| Coverage last reviewed | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-24 | not yet re-reviewed |
Up to 7 countries at a time. A zero means no measure was found in this compilation, not that none exists.
These apply to the selected EU countries (Denmark, Germany and Sweden), not to Norway.
| Measure | Type · category | Status | Effective | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364: common EU data-centre rating scheme (phase 1) Mandates reporting of installed IT power, energy, PUE, ERF/waste-heat, WUE and renewable share via the European DC database; first round 15 Sep 2024, then annual. Fixes the exact KPIs and data a ≥500 kW site must submit to the European database each year (first round 15 Sep 2024). It sets no performance threshold. | regulation · energy efficiency | In force | 2024 | All selected EU countries | source |
| Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) 2023/1791: data centre monitoring & reporting (Art. 12) DCs >=500 kW must annually report energy, power/water use, PUE, waste-heat reuse and renewable share. In force 10 Oct 2023; transposition by 11 Oct 2025. Sites with ≥500 kW of installed IT power must report energy use, PUE, water, waste-heat reuse and renewable share every year to the European data-centre database. A reporting duty, with no EU-level PUE ceiling. | directive · energy efficiency | In force | 2023 | All selected EU countries | source |
| Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2019/424: servers & data storage Minimum PSU efficiency/power factor, idle-power limits, active-state efficiency, plus material-efficiency and info requirements (secure erase, firmware updates, dismantling). Applies to the servers and storage products installed, not to the building: equipment sold in the EU must meet PSU-efficiency, idle-power and material-efficiency requirements. | ecodesign · energy efficiency | In force | 2019 | All selected EU countries | source |
| Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact (CNDCP) Targets: PUE 1.3 (cool)/1.4 (warm) by 2025/2030; 75% renewable/CFE by 2025 & 100% by 2030; WUE and heat-reuse assessment; server circularity. Voluntary: binds only operators that sign it to PUE (1.3/1.4), renewable-power, water and heat-reuse targets. No legal obligation on non-signatories. | self-regulatory · energy efficiency | Voluntary commitment | 2021 | All selected EU countries | source |
| F-Gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 HFC quota phase-down, bans/use-restrictions on high-GWP F-gases in refrigeration/AC, leak checks, recovery and reporting, pushing DCs to low-GWP/natural refrigerants. Phases down high-GWP refrigerants used in cooling. Drives chiller/refrigerant choices and retrofit of existing plant. | regulation · refrigerants | In force | 2024 | All selected EU countries | source |
| Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III) 2023/2413 Higher renewable shares, faster permitting, heating & cooling sector targets and district-heating integration that can value DC waste heat. Sets binding national renewable targets for member states, not duties on an individual site; indirectly eases PPAs, permitting and district-heating outlets for waste heat. | directive · renewable | In force | 2023 | All selected EU countries | source |
| EU Taxonomy Regulation (EU) 2020/852 CSRD companies report Taxonomy-aligned turnover/capex/opex; DC alignment hinges on energy-efficiency criteria (EU Code of Conduct/CEN-CENELEC). No direct duty on the site: operators that report under CSRD disclose how much of their activity is taxonomy-aligned, which for data centres hinges on following the EU Code of Conduct on data-centre energy efficiency. Matters mainly for green financing. | regulation · sustainability reporting | In force | 2020 | All selected EU countries | source |
| Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) 2022/2464 Mandatory assured disclosure of climate, energy, water, emissions, resource-use and governance; scope narrowed by 2025 Omnibus/'Stop-the-clock'. Requires the operator to disclose energy / water / carbon data. A compliance and transparency burden rather than an operating limit. | reporting · sustainability reporting | Phased | 2024 | All selected EU countries | source |
Electricity-tax reimbursement (godtgorelse) for process electricity, leaving businesses paying close to the EU-minimum rate (~0.4 ore/kWh).
Typical effect of this kind of measure: Lowers the cost of building or running a data center here (tax breaks, cheaper power, grants). A siting incentive: pulls investment in rather than constraining it.
Data centres with total rated energy input >1 MW; on construction or substantial refurbishment (cost >50% of new); CBA per Annex XI EED; approval required first. Exempt: data centres whose waste heat is or will be used in district heating or in their own building. In force 11 Oct 2025.
A new or substantially refurbished data centre over 1 MW must prepare a waste-heat and district-heating cost-benefit analysis, including cooling options that capture heat at a useful temperature. The Danish Energy Agency must approve it before any heat or cooling project application or binding steps.
VAT-registered firms; verified ISO 50001:2018 energy review of surplus-heat processes; efficiency measures as a condition. LOV 2606/2021 in force 1 Jan 2022; BEK 481/2026 in force 1 Jul 2026, replacing BEK 2656/2021.
A firm selling surplus heat (e.g. a data centre supplying district heating) can join the Energy Agency scheme: a verified ISO 50001 energy review plus agreed efficiency measures, which gives access to the surplus-heat tax exemption.
In force 1 Jul 2025; old rules still apply to periods before that date.
Data centres selling surplus heat to district-heating companies are no longer subject to the regulated surplus-heat price cap (BEK 458/2023) from 1 July 2025.
Installed IT power ≥500 kW; fields include owner/operator, start date, municipality, floor area, installed power, data traffic and storage, plus the Annex I/II KPIs. Defence and civil-protection sites exempt. In force 1 Sep 2024.
Operators of data centres with at least 500 kW installed IT power must report to the EU data-centre database (first by 15 Sep 2024, then yearly by 15 May) and supply data to the Danish Energy Agency on request.
Existing DCs PUE ≤1.5 from 1 Jul 2027, ≤1.3 from 1 Jul 2030; new-build (from 1 Jul 2026) ≤1.2 within two years.
Typical effect of this kind of measure: Sets efficiency rules a data center must meet, e.g. a PUE ceiling or mandatory KPI reporting. Can force cooling/design changes and rule out inefficient builds.
Implement ISO 50001 or EMAS by mid-2025.
Typical effect of this kind of measure: Sets efficiency rules a data center must meet, e.g. a PUE ceiling or mandatory KPI reporting. Can force cooling/design changes and rule out inefficient builds.
Min reused-energy share for new DCs: ≥10% (from Jul 2026), ≥15% (2027), ≥20% (2028).
Typical effect of this kind of measure: Obliges the facility to reuse its waste heat or limit cooling-water use. Shapes site design and can steer siting toward heat-offtake or water-rich locations.
Annual reporting of energy, PUE, waste-heat use, renewable share.
Typical effect of this kind of measure: Sets efficiency rules a data center must meet, e.g. a PUE ceiling or mandatory KPI reporting. Can force cooling/design changes and rule out inefficient builds.
50% renewable from 1 Jan 2024; 100% from 1 Jan 2027.
Requires a share of renewable / carbon-free electricity. Affects power sourcing, PPAs and run-cost, and can gate approval of new load.
Applies to data-centre operators serving third parties; yearly per-customer energy statement from 1 Jan 2024.
Colocation/hosting operators must give each customer an annual statement of the energy consumption attributable to them.
Companies whose average final energy use over the last 3 years exceeds 2.5 GWh; excludes installations already covered by BImSchG permits with more specific rules.
A data centre using more than 2.5 GWh/yr must avoid waste heat to the state of the art and reuse it where technically and economically reasonable.
Companies >2.5 GWh average annual final energy use; annual submission by 31 March; updates when things change; security exceptions apply.
Data centres above 2.5 GWh/yr must report their waste heat to the federal platform every year and answer data requests from heat-network operators.
Historic benefit: energy tax on electricity cut to ~0.6 ore/kWh (near EU minimum) vs the full rate for qualifying DCs >=0.1 MW; REPEALED 1 Jul 2023 (full rate now applies).
No longer available: since 1 July 2023 data centres pay the full energy tax on electricity, which raised running costs compared with 2017–2023.
Installed IT power demand ≥500 kW; annual reporting under Delegated Reg. 2024/1364; exemptions for security-sensitive, defence and crisis-preparedness uses. Issued 28 May 2025; in force 1 July 2025 per Prop. 2024/25:131.
Owners or managers of data centres with at least 500 kW installed IT demand must report energy-performance data to the EU database every year; the supervisory authority can inspect and issue orders backed by fines.
Reduced el-avgift (0.60 ore/kWh in 2026 vs ordinary 7.13 ore/kWh) is now limited to industry/mining and similar activities; data centres no longer qualify (repealed 2023).
No longer available: data centres now pay the ordinary electricity duty instead of the reduced industrial rate, which raised running costs.
No regional / local measures compiled.
DC siting restricted to designated areas; waste-heat utilisation concept required in approvals.
Typical effect of this kind of measure: Restricts where data centers may be built. Can bar new sites outright or confine them to designated zones, directly limiting where capacity can land.
No regional / local measures compiled.
No regional / local measures compiled.
Research compilation, not legal advice. Re-check each measure's status with the cited authority. Some scope and status labels have been corrected from the source compilation (for example, municipal rules that were tagged national, and voluntary pacts that were shown as in force).