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Regions · Europe and UK · updated 31 Oct 2026

UK and Europe data centres: where they are being built, and what is holding them back

Flag of United KingdomUnited KingdomFlag of IrelandIrelandFlag of GermanyGermanyFlag of NetherlandsNetherlandsFlag of FranceFranceFlag of SpainSpainFlag of ItalyItalyFlag of Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Finland)Flag of Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Finland)Flag of Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Finland)NordicsFlag of PolandPoland

The UK's 5.7 GW pipeline, Ireland's grid squeeze, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Spain's grid permits and the Nordic power rush, on one page. For engineers, buyers, consultants and investors. Every figure is dated, sourced and labelled Live, Confirmed or Projected.

Europe and UK in brief

  • The UK had about 1.8 GW of installed data centre capacity at the end of 2025. Developers plan 5.7 GW more by 2030, but only 13% of that was under construction in September 2026 (Science Works).
  • Ireland's data centres used 23% of the country's metered electricity in 2025, the highest share in Europe, so new sites must now bring their own dispatchable power (CSO, CRU).
  • Germany, the biggest market in continental Europe, had about 2,980 MW of IT load in 2025 and a federal strategy that aims to at least double it by 2030.
  • Spain shows the gap between paper and concrete: 6,329 MW of grid access granted to data centres against 439 MW installed.
  • Grid timing is now the main limit. Microsoft walked away from Nscale's Loughton site after the local network said power would not come until the 2030s, while Telehouse paid over £220 million for an East London site that already has 65 MVA secured.

Flag of United KingdomProjected

5.7 GW

planned UK additions 2026 to 2030, 13% under construction

Source: Science Works (opens in a new tab)

Flag of IrelandLive

23%

of Ireland's metered electricity used by data centres (2025)

Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland) (opens in a new tab)

Flag of GermanyLive

about 2,980 MW

German data centre IT load (2025 estimate)

Source: BMFTR (German federal government) (opens in a new tab)

Flag of NetherlandsLive

about 935 MW

Dutch operational colocation IT power (Q2 2026)

Source: Dutch Data Center Association (opens in a new tab)

Flag of SpainConfirmed

6,329 MW

grid access granted to Spanish data centres, none in service

Source: Red Eléctrica (opens in a new tab)

Flag of Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Finland)Projected

about 10 GW

data centre capacity reserved or queued in Norway's grid

Source: NVE (Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate) (opens in a new tab)

Understand the numbers

  • Live running today or measured for a past period (operating capacity, electricity use, official statistics).
  • Confirmed signed, approved, allocated or filed (grid contracts, grid access, completed deals, financing). Not yet built or still being built.
  • Projected plans, targets, pipelines, queues and forecasts. They can change or not happen.
Exact figure types used on this page

Official figure · Third-party estimate · Company statement · Signed contract · Grid access granted, not built · Adopted policy · Plan or target · Developer pipeline · Connection requests · Forecast · Reported setback. Hover or tap a badge to see the exact type. Countries measure capacity differently (IT load, colocation only, electricity used, grid access granted, connection requests), so figures are never added across countries. MW is a unit of power, TWh of energy used over a year.

How Europe compares

Data centre capacity per person, end of 2025 (watts per person) Live · Third-party estimate

One source and one method for every bar (Science Works, from S&P Global data), so this is a like-for-like comparison. The UK has Europe's largest installed base but ranks 7th per person, and would still rank 7th in 2030 because other countries are building too.

Source: Science Works: The UK Data Centre Pipeline (opens in a new tab) Published 29 Oct 2026. Accessed 31 Oct 2026.

Show the data as a table
MarketWatts per personGroup
Ireland174 WLive (estimate, end 2025)
United States114 WLive (estimate, end 2025)
Sweden71 WLive (estimate, end 2025)
Netherlands61 WLive (estimate, end 2025)
United Kingdom26 WLive (estimate, end 2025)
United Kingdom in 2030 if its pipeline is delivered101 WProjected
Today versus each source's own outlook

Flag of Germany Germany

Live 2,980 MW 2025 IT load

Projected about 5,000 MW 2030 projection

Source: BMFTR (German federal government): Rechenzentrumsstrategie der Bundesregierung (opens in a new tab)

Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom

Live 1,800 MW end-2025 installed

Projected · Developer pipeline 5,700 MW of planned additions, 2026 to 2030. Developer pipeline (developer intent, not guaranteed delivery). Only 13% was under construction in September 2026

Projected 7,400 MW 2030 if the pipeline is delivered (range 4.8 to 8.9 GW)

Source: Science Works: The UK Data Centre Pipeline (opens in a new tab)

Flag of Spain Spain

Live 439 MW end-2025 installed IT

Projected up to 2,537 MW 2030 outlook, upper end

Source: SpainDC: Informe anual 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Flag of Italy Italy

Live 460 MW 2025 commercial live IT

Projected 2,000 to 2,300 MW 2031 forecast, low end of 2.0 to 2.3 GW

Source: Italian Datacenter Association: Ricerca di mercato IDA 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Shown as separate metric cards, not one chart, because each publisher measures something different: Germany counts IT connected load, Spain colocation and hyperscale, Italy commercial capacity only. For the UK, operational capacity, the developer pipeline and the 2030 scenario are three separate figures. Compare within a market, not across markets.

Building costs: Europe is now the most expensive region to build a data centre, according to Turner & Townsend. See the cost chart on Markets & Investment. Running costs: monthly wholesale electricity prices for the UK, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, France and the Nordics since 2019 are on European electricity prices by country.

Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom

Big plans, but only 13% of the 2030 pipeline is being built and the grid sets the pace.

Where the UK's 2026 to 2030 pipeline stands in planning (share of 5.7 GW) Projected · Developer pipeline

Share of planned capacity by planning stage, as of September 2026. Developer intent, not a forecast.

Source: Science Works: The UK Data Centre Pipeline (opens in a new tab) Published 29 Oct 2026. Accessed 31 Oct 2026.

Show the data as a table
Planning stageShare of planned capacity
Under construction13%
Full permission, not started26%
Outline permission or resolution to grant37%
Application or screening only20%
Stage not established4%

Live · Third-party estimate

about 1.8 GW

Installed data centre capacity at the end of 2025, mostly cloud and enterprise hosting in London and the South East (Science Works, based on S&P Global data). As of 31 Dec 2025.

Source: Science Works: The UK Data Centre Pipeline (opens in a new tab) Published 29 Oct 2026. Accessed 31 Oct 2026.

Projected · Developer pipeline

5.7 GW by 2030

Capacity developers plan to add from 2026 to 2030, about 1,140 MW a year against 150 MW a year in 2021 to 2025. Only 13% was under construction in September 2026. Science Works says this is developer intent, not a forecast. As of 2026-09.

Source: Science Works: The UK Data Centre Pipeline (opens in a new tab) Published 29 Oct 2026. Accessed 31 Oct 2026.

Projected · Plan or target

6 GW by 2030

AI data centre capacity the government estimates the UK needs by 2030. The Data Centre Covenant offers faster grid and planning to strategic sites that meet its tests. As of 28 Oct 2026.

Source: GOV.UK: The Data Centre Covenant (opens in a new tab) Published 28 Oct 2026. Accessed 31 Oct 2026.

Live · Third-party estimate

about 0.2%

Share of England's non-household water market used by data centres, about 1.88 million cubic metres of potable water a year. Six large sites account for about 65% of it, and use peaks in summer heatwaves. As of 2026-06.

Source: techUK: Data Centre Water Use in the UK (opens in a new tab) Figures as of June 2026. Accessed 31 Oct 2026.

Projects, operators and all sources: United Kingdom market profile. Grid and power equipment suppliers: Switchgear · Gensets.

Flag of Ireland Ireland

Data centres use almost a quarter of the electricity.

Projects, operators and all sources: Ireland market profile. Compare markets side by side: Compare markets.

Flag of Germany Germany

Frankfurt leads continental Europe, and the government aims to at least double capacity by 2030.

Projects, operators and all sources: Germany market profile.

Flag of Netherlands Netherlands

Growing 6.6% a year, held back by grid limits.

Projects, operators and all sources: Netherlands market profile. Compare markets side by side: Compare markets.

Flag of France France

Fast-track grid deals for AI campuses.

Projects, operators and all sources: France market profile.

Flag of Spain Spain

Grid permits run far ahead of what is built.

Live · Third-party estimate

439 MW

Installed colocation and hyperscale IT power at the end of 2025, according to the industry association SpainDC. As of 31 Dec 2025.

Source: SpainDC: Informe anual 2025 (opens in a new tab) September 2025. Accessed 19 Oct 2026.

Projects, operators and all sources: Spain market profile.

Flag of Italy Italy

From about 460 MW today towards 2 GW by 2031.

Projects, operators and all sources: Italy market profile.

Flag of Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Finland)Flag of Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Finland)Flag of Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Finland) Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Finland)

Cheap clean power draws gigawatts of requests.

Market profiles: Norway · Sweden · Finland · Denmark.

Flag of Poland Poland

New Warsaw campuses and a 500 MW outlook.

Projects, operators and all sources: Poland market profile.

Common questions

How many data centres are there in the UK?

Nobody keeps an official count, but estimates put the UK at around 1.6 to 1.8 GW of data centre capacity, mostly in London.

Why it matters At least 1 in every 5 of Europe's data centres is in the UK, according to one investigation.

  • Around 1.6 GW of rented space in Great Britain (autumn 2024)
  • Around 1,050 MW in London
  • Around 1.8 GW in total (end of 2025)
  • At least 500 of Europe's 2,300 plus sites

Source: UK government, Science Works, Guardian and Investigate Europe

Where are new UK data centres being built?

Mostly around London, but more are planned in the East of England, Yorkshire, the North East, Wales and Scotland.

Why it matters London and the South East held about 7 in every 10 megawatts in 2025. That is expected to drop to about 5 in 10 by 2030.

  • London and South East: around 73% (2025), around 53% (2030 forecast)
  • Only around 13% of planned projects being built (September 2026)

Source: Science Works

How much water do UK data centres use?

Very little overall. Data centres in England use about 0.2% of the water sold to businesses, but a few big sites use most of it, especially in heatwaves.

  • Around 1.9 million cubic metres a year
  • Around 0.2% of the business water market

Source: techUK

Why is it hard to connect a data centre to the grid in Europe?

Far more people want power than the grid has spare, so there are long queues.

Why it matters In Great Britain, requests to connect tripled in under a year.

  • Great Britain requests: from 41 GW to 125 GW
  • Norway: around 10 GW reserved or queued
  • Spain: around 6,300 MW granted, none running yet

Source: Ofgem, NVE, Red Eléctrica

Which European country uses the most electricity for data centres?

Ireland, if you look at the share of the country's power. Germany, if you look at the total amount.

Why it matters In Ireland, data centres used almost 1 in every 4 units of metered electricity in 2025.

  • Ireland: 23% of metered electricity (2025)
  • Germany: around 21 TWh, about 4% of its electricity (2025)

Source: CSO Ireland, German research ministry (BMFTR)

What is the UK Data Centre Covenant?

A UK deal for big data centres: they get faster grid connections and planning if they meet tests on energy, water, jobs, security and local benefits.

Why it matters PUE measures waste: 1.0 would mean all the power goes to the computers. The Covenant asks for 1.3 or better.

  • Published: 28 October 2026
  • PUE target: 1.3 or better

Source: UK government

FAQ sources: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Estimate of data centre capacity: Great Britain 2024 (opens in a new tab); Science Works: The UK Data Centre Pipeline (opens in a new tab); techUK: Data Centre Water Use in the UK (opens in a new tab); The Guardian: Electrocutions, disease and no pay: how workers risk exploitation in Europe's datacentres (opens in a new tab); GOV.UK: The Data Centre Covenant (opens in a new tab).

Company logos come from Wikimedia Commons or Simple Icons and are shown for identification only. They do not imply endorsement, and CoolPower Index is vendor-neutral. Flags: flag-icons (MIT licence). Charts: Apache ECharts (Apache 2.0). This is not investment advice. Other regions: Regions · Asia Pacific · China · Compare markets.