Grid connection requests from data center operators in Italy have skyrocketed to 95.38GW, according to the country's grid operator Terna, marking a dramatic acceleration in the nation's digital infrastructure buildout. The figure represents a staggering leap from just 1GW of applications received in 2021, with demand climbing to 31.28GW by 2024 before nearly tripling to its current level.
The surge has intensified in recent months, with 300 of the 531 total requests submitted to Terna between 2021 and now arriving in just the past eight months. This unprecedented wave of applications underscores the rapid expansion of data center development across Italy, driven largely by the growing computational demands of artificial intelligence and cloud services.
Under Italy's grid connection process, applicants must provide an estimated power usage figure and the location of their proposed development before Terna responds with a connection solution outline and the fees required upon signing the connection contract. The majority of applications received over the past five years have originated from Italy's northern regions, with Lombardy alone accounting for 290 requests totaling 49GW, predominantly concentrated around the Milan metropolitan area. To accommodate this concentrated demand, Terna is currently developing 27 electrical substations in the region, five of which have already secured authorization from local authorities. Following Lombardy, the regions of Lazio, Piedmont, and Apulia account for the bulk of remaining connection requests.
According to analysis by Il Sole 24 ORE, only ten percent of all applications received by Terna in the past five years have come directly from data center operators. The remaining requests are split between property developers and logistics companies, which account for 60 percent, and special-purpose corporate vehicles and design firms, representing 30 percent. Notably, not all requests have received approval—of the 531 grid connection applications for data centers submitted since 2021, only 15 are reportedly close to final approval, according to reporting by Fortune Italy.
Terna, which was founded in 1999 and manages Italy's high and extra-high voltage electricity grid, has been proactively preparing for this demand surge. Last year, the grid operator unveiled a ten-year plan to invest €10 billion ($11.6 billion) in modernizing the national network. The ambitious strategy includes a €3.7 billion ($4.3 billion) HVDC submarine cable project connecting the southern region of Campania with the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, a 40 percent boost in cross-border electrical power transfer capacity, and an increase in market-zone energy exchange capacity from 16GW to 39GW.
The scale of grid connection requests reflects a broader trend across Southern Europe, where data center development is accelerating to meet the demands of AI-driven workloads and digital transformation initiatives. Industry observers note that the gap between applications and final approvals highlights the challenges of aligning infrastructure investment with the speed of digital growth, a dynamic that will likely shape energy policy and data center siting decisions across the region in the years ahead.