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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsData centers report environmental information to EU authorities, but that does not mean the public can see each facility’s raw electricity and water use. A Lighthouse Reports investigation, as summarized by TechRadar on 1 October 2026, found public facility-level figures difficult to obtain and described refusals across several EU member states. Its Netherlands example suggests the disclosure gap is substantial—but it is not a census of all European data centers.
What the reported figures show—and what they do not
In the Netherlands, Lighthouse Reports counted 186 operating data centers rated at least 500 kW by late 2025. TechRadar reported that 44 offered public electricity-consumption figures and 47 offered public water-consumption figures. Those are separate counts: the report does not establish how many facilities published both. They represent about 24% and 25% of the 186-center group, respectively, not Europe-wide disclosure rates.
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TechRadar’s account also says Lighthouse Reports encountered refusals when seeking information across EU member states. Some responses cited confidentiality; others said the authorities did not hold the requested information. These are findings relayed by TechRadar, not a dataset independently verified here. The headline claim that “most” centers obscure their impacts should therefore be understood as the investigation’s characterization of the transparency problem, not a complete count of European facilities.
The distinction at the heart of the story is between data being submitted to government systems and raw, site-specific figures being accessible to the public. A facility may report information without making its underlying consumption figures easy for a resident, journalist, or researcher to retrieve.
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What EU data-center reporting makes public
The European Commission says the Energy Efficiency Directive introduced monitoring and reporting obligations for data centers. A Commission-prepared European database collects and publishes information relevant to energy performance and water footprint; Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364 sets the information and key performance indicators operators must report. The Commission also says its July 2025 report analyzed data submitted in the 2024 reporting period, while an online dashboard presents aggregated information provided for by the directive and regulation.
That framework establishes reporting and publication of information, including aggregated data. It does not by itself establish that every facility’s raw electricity and water figures are openly available. Lighthouse Reports criticized the publication of efficiency labels in place of raw data, according to TechRadar. Labels can help compare performance, but they do not necessarily tell the public how much electricity or water a particular site consumed.
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The Commission’s stated rationale is direct: “To measure the energy consumption and the environmental and climate impact of EU data centres, greater transparency from data centre operators is key.” — European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy, accessed 3 October 2026.
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What is proposed, and what is not yet in force
As of the Commission’s current page, the Commission proposed a common rating scheme for data centers on 21 September 2026. It is intended to make energy and water use more transparent and allow comparisons among data centers in the same region. The Commission describes the proposal as a proposal, not a completed system already in operation.
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A separate proposal for minimum performance standards remained in preparation. The Commission page listed a consultation open until 14 December and planned final publication in the second quarter of 2027. Minimum standards and a common rating scheme are distinct policy measures; neither should be described as an already implemented final requirement on the basis of that status page.
Why raw figures need context
Absolute consumption and efficiency answer different questions. A large facility may use more electricity or water in total than a smaller one while operating more efficiently per unit of computing work. Conversely, an efficiency rating alone cannot show the scale of a facility’s total demand or the pressure it places on nearby resources.
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The Commission identifies indicators including energy and water consumption, renewable and low-carbon energy, waste-heat reuse, and grid efficiency. Useful public reporting would let readers see the underlying figures alongside the reporting period, facility or population covered, and location. Geography matters: water availability and electricity systems differ by place and time, so the same volume or energy source can have different local implications. These factors make a regional comparison more informative than a single Europe-wide label.
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The wider energy context is significant, but the figures below have different scopes and should not be treated as interchangeable:
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| Figure | Scope and status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 415 TWh, about 1.5% of yearly electricity use | Estimated global data-center electricity consumption; the Commission cites the International Energy Agency’s Energy and AI report. | European Commission, 2026 page |
| 945 TWh by 2030 | Projected global data-center electricity consumption, not a measured current total; the Commission cites the International Energy Agency. | European Commission, 2026 page |
| 9.5%–15.3% of total U.S. electricity by 2030 | A U.S. scenario range in the Department of Energy’s 2025 update, not a measured current share. It covers the United States and is not directly comparable to the global IEA figures. | U.S. Department of Energy, report record |
These estimates and projections describe electricity demand at broad scales; they do not reveal the consumption of a particular facility or its local water impact. The Commission’s database and dashboard address reporting at an EU level, while facility-level disclosure remains the question raised by the investigation.
What the Aarhus complaint means
TechRadar reports that Lighthouse Reports filed a complaint under the Aarhus Convention over access to environmental information. That is the organization’s claim and action, not an adjudicated finding that the EU breached the Convention. The complaint highlights the accountability question: whether formal reporting systems translate into meaningful public access to information about local environmental impacts.
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