A2A CEO: Milan's data center capacity will increase tenfold within five years

The Chief Executive of A2A, an energy group, said that data centres in the financial capital of Italy, Milan, are expected to increase their capacity by around two gigawatts over the next five-year period, which is a tenfold rise from the current levels.

A2A, a utility that will provide the electricity needed, can expect to see a boost in revenues from the rapid expansion of data centers, required to drive artificial Intelligence.

Milan's data centres have a capacity of 200 megawatts, but the city's peak demand for electricity is currently 1.5 GW.

Renato Mazzoncini, CEO of A2A, said that the new facilities would be directly connected to Italy's grid high-voltage or to power plants. This will avoid straining A2A's local distribution network.

Local authorities support a rapid increase in renewable energy generation and an expansion of thermal capacity to meet the growing demand.

Mazzoncini said at an event held in Milan that "we already have over 3 gigawatts additional thermoelectric energy either built, in construction, or authorized in the region."

The executive stated that data centres are still being built in Italy despite the higher electricity prices compared to other European nations.

The cost of electricity is convergent across Europe. Solar panels or wind turbines produce at the same price in Spain, Italy or Ireland. "That's the direction of the world," he said. He said operators could also obtain power by signing purchase agreements with utilities.

A2A, Italy's third-largest utility by customer numbers is also the largest in Lombardy (the region around Milan).

(source: Reuters)