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Electricity needs in Italy: Super data centers demand rethink!
According to Terna, Italy needs up to 50 GW additional electricity power for data centers, while smaller nuclear power plants are funded.
Electricity needs in Italy: Super data centers demand rethink!
Italy faces a significant challenge in the area of energy supply. Current reports of the Politecnico di Milano According to the country, the country cannot even provide a tenth of the required electricity output for the planned new super computers and data centers. This raises questions about the future viability and the existing infrastructure. The national transmission system operator Terna expects an additional electricity requirement of almost 50 gigawatts, while only 5 gigawatts are required for the immediate power supply, which corresponds to the capacity of around 250 wind turbines.
The Italian government reacts to this challenge with the promotion of small modular reactors (SMRs), which are propagated as a solution for the increased electricity requirements of the data centers. International IT companies show an interest in this technology, especially to meet their own energy needs. However, the practicality of these measures is questioned: critics criticize that the water requirements are not sufficiently taken into account both the data centers and SMR technology in water-low regions. In fact, three quarters of Italy are affected by water shortages.
Energy requirements and responsibility
The financial incentives of Terna are also the focus. By transporting more electricity through its lines, the company benefits financially, which leads to considering its responsibility towards the population and the economy. It is required to have the actual additional requirement of electricity for super data centers checked independently in order to create a transparent data. In particular, the credibility of governments and quasi-monopolistic network operators are questioned in this context.
In the meantime, the energy transition is being promoted in Germany. According to the Federal Environment Agency Renewable energies in 2024 already contributed 22.4 percent to gross energy consumption, an increase of 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous year. The expansion of wind, solar and biomass plants shows that German energy policy is geared towards sustainability. In the same year, 254 billion kilowatt hours of electricity from renewable energies were generated.
Renewable energies and their role
Renewable energies in Germany are an important factor in avoiding CO₂ emissions: 256 million tons of CO₂ equivalents were avoided in 2024. It is interesting that 80 percent of these avoided emissions come from electricity generation, which underlines the relevance of the sector. In the meantime, the situation in Italy is more complex, since the additional energy requirement in connection with the challenges of water supply must be weighted.
In view of these developments, it becomes apparent that the energy future of both countries depends on the efficient use and further expansion of renewable energies. While Germany is on a positive way, Italy needs urgent and well thought -out solutions to achieve its energetic goals and to maintain environmentally friendly standards.