The European Data Centre Association, which represents the operators of data centres before European Union institutions, argues that Europe should prioritise developing artificial intelligence (AI) even if that means sidelining short-term climate goals. The association warns that otherwise the continent risks ceding technological sovereignty to rivals such as China.
Lex Coors, president of the European Data Centre Association, said Europe’s energy system is currently not ready to reliably supply advanced AI data centres. He suggested that, until grid upgrades, the expansion of renewables and next-generation nuclear projects — including small modular reactors (SMRs) — are delivered, temporary gas-fired power plants might be needed.
"The electricity grid is not ready, and SMRs will not be ready in time. So what is the solution now?" Coors asked.
The Commission’s plan and industry concerns
Under the European Commission’s AI Continent Action Plan, the EU would aim to triple its data-centre capacity by 2032. Coors warns that renewables deployment, grid reinforcement programmes and advanced nuclear projects are not moving fast enough to support that growth, and therefore believes the discussion should at least be opened about whether transitional gas plants are necessary.
The association represents major technology companies including Microsoft, Google and Amazon, as well as many European data-centre operators. Coors says policymakers often assume key infrastructure upgrades will be completed on schedule, while many industry actors doubt that timetable; he argues that more open communication from grid operators and policymakers about likely delays would make it possible to explore alternatives.
Scale and geography
There are roughly 3,000 data centres in Europe, making the region the world’s second-largest concentration of such facilities after North America. Most sites are in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Ireland and the United Kingdom, while northern countries are becoming more attractive due to cooler climates and abundant clean energy. Nevertheless, Europe still lags the United States and China in computing capacity and the large-scale infrastructure needed to train advanced AI models.
EU response and sustainability requirements
Dan Jørgensen, EU Commissioner for Energy, has said that data centres are only desirable in Europe if they contribute to the energy transition — for example by supporting renewables integration and using waste heat. The European Commission is developing a sustainability certification for data centres that would assess metrics including energy efficiency, water use and heat recovery. Earlier this month the Commission unveiled a strategic roadmap on energy-sector digitalisation and artificial intelligence, and brokered a declaration of intent between energy providers, grid operators and data-centre companies to accelerate AI infrastructure deployment.
Coors welcomed these initiatives as a "very valuable start," but he believes policymakers still rely on assumptions that key infrastructure will be ready on time while many in the sector are sceptical. He says acknowledging delays openly would open the door to practical dialogue and contingency planning.
Climate NGOs push back
Climate and environmental organisations counter that Europe’s energy vulnerability stems from continued reliance on imported fossil fuels. Building new gas power stations, they argue, would lock in the very dependence that the EU is trying to eliminate.
A Greenpeace EU spokesperson said it would be absurd to sacrifice further climate progress so that more gas could be burnt for the profit of technology billionaires. Maya Perera, an energy specialist at the European Environmental Bureau, urged the Commission to "stay the course," arguing that data centres should meet the highest energy-efficiency and environmental standards and actively support the energy transition rather than impede it.
The gas dilemma and technical constraints
Coors stresses the data-centre industry's ongoing commitment to clean energy and supports solar, wind and nuclear power. However, he doubts that battery storage and renewables alone can bridge the supply gap he expects. Because solar and wind are weather-dependent, their output needs to be complemented by storage solutions such as batteries, and Coors says policymakers underestimate the scale and cost of storage capacity required to back rapid AI expansion. "Batteries will not take us to 2034," he said.
He notes the trend is already visible in the United States, where rapid data-centre growth has driven demand for new gas plants. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), last year set a 25-year record for the number of new gas-fired plants ordered globally, driven in part by the American AI boom.
A political trade-off
Coors argues policymakers are trying to satisfy four competing goals at once: competitiveness, sovereignty, sustainability and speed. He believes Europe may need to compromise on sustainability to meet the other objectives, warning that if the EU falls behind in AI it will be forced to import technology rather than build it domestically. "In that scenario there would be only one winner: China," he said.
The debate in Brussels continues: policymakers must weigh how quickly and with what technologies to scale AI infrastructure without undermining the EU's climate commitments or long-term energy independence.
What to watch next
- The Commission's 2032 goal to triple data-centre capacity.
- Timely delivery of grid upgrades and SMR projects will be critical.
- The impact of the Commission’s sustainability certification and the new industry-energy sector declarations on future data-centre builds and power demand.
Greater transparency about potential delays in infrastructure delivery could enable more constructive policy responses and alternative solutions, the stakeholders agree — even if they disagree on whether those alternatives should include temporary gas-fired generation.
