Data Centres

UK Lords Environment Committee Warns Of Rising Water Demand And Drought Risk In England

In May 2026 the UK House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee published a major drought report warning that England could face a 5 billion litre-per-day water deficit by 2055 without urgent action on water demand, storage and drought resilience. The report is non-binding but signals likely tightening of planning policy, building regulations and abstraction permitting—especially for new housing, data centres and other water-intensive infrastructure—so affected sectors should plan for stricter water-efficiency and resilience expectations in England.

23 May 2026, 08:58publications.parliament.ukUnited Kingdom

New York Senate Bill S10546 Would Require Large Data Centres To Fund Host Community Electrification

New York has introduced Senate Bill S10546, which would require large data centres with at least 20 megawatts of load to fund host-community programmes that either discount residential electricity bills or install household electrification technologies such as heat pumps, rooftop solar and battery storage. If enacted, this would link data centre development approvals to visible local decarbonisation and affordability benefits, increasing compliance and funding obligations for operators while supporting state climate and equity goals.

22 May 2026, 18:57assembly.state.ny.usUnited States

Flevoland Province Publishes Draft Omgevingsvisie 2050 on Spatial, Energy and Environmental Policy

Flevoland has published a draft Omgevingsvisie 2050 that sets a long-term, legally binding provincial framework for spatial planning, energy, water, agriculture, datacentres and hazardous-substance management, now opened for public consultation. For companies, this signals significantly tighter expectations around PFAS, pesticides and other high-risk substances, more restrictive siting and energy-system conditions for energy-intensive industry and datacentres, and a stronger link between climate, water and land-use considerations in future permits and investment decisions in Flevoland.

20 May 2026, 17:56zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

Pennsylvania HB2515 Proposes Transparency Requirements for Large Commercial Data Centers

In May 2026, Pennsylvania introduced HB 2515, the Commercial Data Center Transparency Act, to require large data centers to disclose water use, energy demand and related impacts as part of key state permitting processes. If enacted, the bill would create new reporting, public transparency and penalty risks for operators and utilities, influencing siting decisions, infrastructure cost allocation and community engagement around data center projects in the state.

15 May 2026, 09:36palegis.usUnited States

China Issues Joint Action Plan on AI–Energy Bidirectional Empowerment

In April 2026, four central Chinese agencies issued a joint national action plan setting out 29 tasks to integrate artificial intelligence with the energy system through 2030. The programme signals tighter expectations on clean power for data centres, greener computing infrastructure, AI-driven energy operations, and future standards and financing tools that could reshape investment and risk for energy and digital infrastructure in China.

11 May 2026, 11:59nea.gov.cnChina

Cyprus Adopts 2026 Amending Law on Energy Efficiency in Heating, Cooling and Cogeneration

Cyprus has adopted Law 93(I)/2026 to implement key parts of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive 2023/1791, tightening obligations on efficient heating and cooling, cogeneration and data centre waste heat use from April 2026 onwards. This creates stronger long-term decarbonisation and planning requirements for district heating systems and large energy installations in Cyprus, so utilities, industrial operators and data centre owners need to reassess investment plans, heat network strategies and compliance with new cost-benefit and consumer-rights provisions.

8 May 2026, 06:41eur-lex.europa.euCyprus

New Jersey Proposes BPU Study on Data Centre Development Impacts (Bill A4945)

New Jersey Assembly Bill A4945 in the 2026–2027 session would direct the state Board of Public Utilities to study the environmental, infrastructural, and financial impacts of data centre development. While the bill introduces no immediate obligations for data centre operators, its findings could shape future siting, permitting, infrastructure investment, and sustainability requirements in New Jersey.

7 May 2026, 19:46njleg.state.nj.usUnited States

Hawaii Adopts HCR206 Establishing Working Group On Large Data Centers

In April 2026 Hawaii adopted HCR206 HD1, directing the Hawaii State Energy Office to convene a multi-stakeholder working group on the energy, water, ratepayer and climate impacts of future large data centres. This points to potential forthcoming rules on siting, grid cost allocation, renewable-power sourcing and transparency for hyperscale data-centre projects and utilities in Hawaii, shaping investment and planning decisions from 2027 onward.

1 May 2026, 18:03capitol.hawaii.govUnited States

Illinois Bill HB5513 Proposes Hyperscale Data Centre Water and Energy Rules and Automated Solar Permitting

Illinois House Bill 5513 would create a comprehensive framework governing hyperscale data centre water and energy use and establish a new automated residential solar permitting act, with the bill currently re-referred to the House Rules Committee. If adopted, it would impose significant new permitting, reporting, fee and community-benefit obligations on data centre developers and require all municipalities and counties to modernise rooftop solar permitting by July 2027, reshaping project siting, infrastructure planning and clean-energy procurement in Illinois.

26 Apr 2026, 16:07ilga.govUnited States

UK Parliament Committee Opens Low-Energy Computing Inquiry

The UK Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has launched a low-energy computing inquiry and is seeking written evidence until 14 May 2026. This inquiry signals growing political focus on the energy footprint of AI and advanced computing and could shape future UK policy on data centre efficiency, infrastructure investment and research support.

22 Apr 2026, 16:48committees.parliament.ukUnited Kingdom

EU Commission Launches Call For Feedback On Data-Centre Energy-Efficiency Rating Scheme

In March 2026 the European Commission opened an EU "Have Your Say" call for feedback on a draft delegated regulation that would create a common energy-efficiency rating and labelling scheme for data centres. If adopted broadly as proposed, this scheme will shape how data-centre performance is measured, disclosed, and benchmarked across Europe, influencing future design choices, procurement criteria, and ESG reporting expectations for operators and major users.

21 Apr 2026, 17:40ec.europa.euEuropean Union

Germany Drafts Amendments to Energy Efficiency and Energy Services Acts

A ministerial draft law would revise Germany’s Energy Efficiency Act and Energy Services Act to implement the new EU Energy Efficiency Directive and recalibrate obligations for public bodies, large energy users and data centres from 2026 onwards. If adopted, it raises thresholds for full management systems but adds broader audit, implementation plan, waste-heat and reporting duties, meaning affected operators will need to re-map in-scope sites and plan compliance for the 2026–2027 deadlines.

18 Apr 2026, 08:20table.mediaGermany

Arkansas HR1012 Proposes Water and Grid Controls for Blockchain and Digital Asset Mining

In April 2026, the Arkansas House introduced HR1012 to authorise a nonappropriation bill amending the Arkansas Data Centers Act of 2023, giving state regulators new powers to monitor and intervene in blockchain and digital asset mining operations based on their water use and electric‑grid impacts. If enacted, data centre and digital asset operators in Arkansas would face closer scrutiny of resource consumption, potential service cutoffs where operations threaten groundwater or grid reliability, and implementing rules targeted for 1 January 2027 that could influence siting and investment decisions for high‑consumption facilities.

16 Apr 2026, 11:08arkleg.state.ar.usUnited States

Arkansas SR12 Proposes Amendments to Data Centers Act for Blockchain Mining Water and Grid Oversight

In April 2026, the Arkansas Senate introduced SR12 to authorise a bill amending the state’s Data Centers Act so water and energy regulators can monitor blockchain and digital asset mining operations and shut them down or cut power if they threaten groundwater supplies or electric grid reliability. If adopted, this would materially increase compliance and operational risk for high-load mining and data centre sites in Arkansas, with binding monitoring and potential service-halt powers to be defined in rules expected by early 2027.

16 Apr 2026, 11:07arkleg.state.ar.usUnited States

Pennsylvania House Re‑Commits Data Center Reporting Bill HB 2150 to Appropriations

Pennsylvania’s HB 2150, which would require data centres to report annual energy and water consumption and establish penalties for non-compliance, advanced on 25 March 2026 when the House gave it second consideration and re-committed it to the Appropriations Committee. This renewed movement signals growing momentum for a state-level reporting regime on data-centre resource use, so large operators should monitor further legislative steps and prepare for potential new transparency and performance expectations.

16 Apr 2026, 10:40palegis.usUnited States

Illinois SB4004 Would Ban Data Center Use of Mahomet Aquifer Water

Illinois has introduced SB4004, the Data Center Water Transparency and Aquifer Protection Act, which would ban data center withdrawals from the Mahomet Aquifer from 2027 and impose transparency requirements on their water use. If enacted, data center operators drawing on this aquifer will need to redesign cooling-water strategies, secure alternative supplies, and monitor IEPA rulemaking ahead of phased deadlines through 2028.

15 Apr 2026, 15:52ilga.govUnited States

Nebraska Legislature Passes LB1010 On Energy Storage Resources And Large Load Customers

In April 2026 Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature passed LB1010, creating the Large Load Customer Regulation Act and a dedicated framework for regulating and taxing energy storage resources and very large electricity customers. This will materially change the siting, interconnection, and tax planning landscape for grid-scale storage projects, data centres, and cryptocurrency mining operations in Nebraska, and should be factored into future investment and compliance decisions.

15 Apr 2026, 15:23nebraskalegislature.govUnited States

US Senate Introduces Data Center Water And Energy Transparency Act Of 2026 (S. 4213)

A US Senate bill introduced in March 2026 would require large data centers to report detailed energy and water use metrics to States or federal agencies, with annual public reporting on regional resource impacts. If enacted, this would create new disclosure, metering, and efficiency-planning expectations for data center operators, making robust utility tracking and performance strategies a priority for digital infrastructure and cloud providers.

14 Apr 2026, 15:18govinfo.govUnited States

Oregon Governor Signs HB 4084 Creating Joint Permitting Council And Fast-Track Permitting Programme

Oregon has enacted legislation establishing a Joint Permitting Council to fast-track approvals for large-scale industrial and economic development projects. Eligible capital investments in sectors like advanced manufacturing and clean tech can now access coordinated multi-agency timelines and updated tax incentive frameworks.

4 Apr 2026, 10:28olis.oregonlegislature.govUnited States

US Congress Introduces Protect American AI Act of 2026 For Data Center Environmental Permits

The U.S. House introduced the Protect American AI Act in March 2026 to streamline environmental permitting and judicial review for data centers and AI infrastructure. This legislation would significantly reduce project risk by preventing permit vacatur during litigation and shortening legal challenge windows for critical digital infrastructure investments.

31 Mar 2026, 21:25congress.govUnited States