Italy Introduces A Unified Authorization Procedure For Data Centers Under New Energy Decree

1. Background and Legislative Context

On Feb. 18, 2026, the Italian Council of Ministers approved a new Law Decree introducing urgent measures to reduce energy costs and support industrial competitiveness. The Decree came into force on Feb. 21.

The initiative addresses longstanding challenges in Italy's data center authorization process, where fragmented procedures and inconsistent regulatory frameworks have caused significant delays in project deployment. The government highlights the growing need to integrate energy-intensive digital infrastructure into the national electricity grid, while ensuring grid stability and complying with evolving EU classification rules, such as Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364. The reform is part of Italy's broader strategy to attract large-scale digital investments and strengthen national and European data infrastructure resilience.