Power grid delays challenge Amazon's data center expansion in Europe

By Kate Abnett

BRUSSELS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Long delays to get powerfulness grid connections are challenging Amazon's plans to grow information centers successful Europe, the institution told Reuters, arsenic industries ramp up unit ​on policymakers to upgrade ageing vigor grids.

Energy-intensive industries person urged the European Union to put much successful ‌grids, informing that a accelerated transportation to stable, reliable powerfulness networks is simply a cardinal criteria for investments successful caller concern sites successful Europe.

Pamela ‌MacDougall, Amazon Web Services' (AWS) caput of vigor markets and regularisation successful EMEA, said the timeline for getting a grid transportation had go 1 of the biggest deciding factors successful the company's information halfway investments.

Connecting to the transmission web successful Europe tin instrumentality up to 7 years - versus the astir 2 years it tin instrumentality to make a information center, she ⁠said.

In the United States, transportation queues mean ‌one to 3 years, according to the International Energy Agency, though they tin sometimes besides agelong to 7 years.

"And we're uncovering much and much crossed Europe that certainty of the ‍delivery day has continued to beryllium delayed," she said successful an interview.

The European Commission projected ineligible changes past twelvemonth to headdress deadlines for authorities to o.k. grid permits astatine a maximum of 2 years, and exempt grids projects from biology assessments, to velocity ​up the modernisation of Europe's powerfulness networks. EU countries and lawmakers are negotiating the proposals.

NETWORK CONGESTION

MacDougall said "in galore ‌countries" successful Europe, Amazon had wanted to physique infrastructure but missing grid connections oregon powerfulness web congestion had made the task unfeasible.

"There's a misalignment. We privation to grow and turn wrong 2 years," MacDougall said, adding that the delays were "challenging our maturation aspirations".

Italy and Spain are among the countries wherever grid connections are slowed down by a backlog of alleged "speculative" projects which applied for connections arsenic a precaution but volition apt not spell ahead, energy manufacture ⁠association Eurelectric has said.

First-come, first-served rules mean different projects cannot overtake ​them successful the queue.

Another origin is agelong hold times for permits to ​upgrade European powerfulness grids. Slashing these deadlines are among the ineligible changes projected by the European Commission.

MacDougall is vice-chair of GIGA, an manufacture relation launched past period to propulsion policymakers to ‍modernise Europe's powerfulness grids. Other ⁠members see energy-hungry tech companies Meta and Google, and electrical conveyance charging infrastructure steadfast Fastned.