Data centre regulation in France
Our tracker lists 7 rules for building and running a data centre in France, national and EU, and 4 of them are in force.
Each comes with its status, who it applies to and the next date that matters. When a rule here changes, the change is logged below with its date.
- 4 of 7rules that apply, in forceRegulation tracker, updated 19 Oct 2026
- 3not yet in forceproposed, adopted or in scrutiny
- 14 Dec 2026next date, EURegulation tracker, updated 19 Oct 2026
Rules that apply in France
National rules first, then the EU rules every member state applies. Status as on the tracker.
| Rule | Level | Status | Applies to | Next date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code de l'énergie L236-1 to L236-3, Décret 2025-1382 | National | In force | New and existing sites. ≥500 kW reporting; ≥1 MW waste heat | 15 May 2027 report; 1 October 2027 cost-benefit deadline |
| EED reporting, Article 12 and Delegated Regulation 2024/1364 | EU | In force | New and existing sites. Data centres ≥500 kW installed IT power | 15 May 2027, next annual report |
| EED waste heat, Article 26(6) | EU | In force | New and existing sites. Data centres >1 MW total rated energy input | Ongoing duty |
| EED energy management systems, Article 11 | EU | In force as a Directive duty on Member States; deadline not yet reached | Enterprises, including data-centre operators, with average annual energy consumption above 85 TJ (23.6 GWh) over the previous three years, all energy carriers together | 11 October 2027, certified energy management system in place |
| EU rating scheme, delegated regulation adopted 21 Sep 2026 | EU | Adopted, in Parliament and Council scrutiny | New and existing sites. Same ≥500 kW reporting population | In force 20 days after Official Journal publication, if not objected to |
| EU minimum performance standards | EU | Consultation open | Not yet defined | 14 December 2026, consultation closes |
| Cloud and AI Development Act, COM(2026) 502 | EU | Proposal, with Parliament and Council | Cloud and AI infrastructure providers broadly | No fixed date |
France in detail
What the national rules say, with the legal texts.
Articles L236-1 to L236-3 of the Code de l'énergie set France's data centre duties. L236-1 requires annual reporting from data centres with at least 500 kW of installed power, assessed at the level of the operator's SIRET business registration number, with the report due by 15 May each year for the preceding calendar year.
L236-2 requires waste-heat valorisation from data centres with at least 1 MW of installed power. Décret n° 2025-1382 du 29 décembre 2025 sets the operating detail: an Energy Reuse Factor of at least 0.20 is deemed to satisfy the duty, a threshold the government can raise to as much as 0.40 by ministerial order. Data centres with permits filed before 1 January 2026 have until 1 October 2027 to complete a cost-benefit analysis of using their waste heat.
L236-3 sets fines of up to €50,000 per data centre for non-compliance.
Dates to watch
The next dates for France and the EU, soonest first.
- 14 Dec 2026The EU Commission's minimum performance standards consultation and call for evidence closes
- 15 May 2027EU database and French reports dueevery year
- 1 Oct 2027France's cost-benefit analysis deadline for data centres with permits filed before 1 January 2026
- 11 Oct 2027EU deadline under Article 11 of the Energy Efficiency Directive for a certified energy management system at enterprises above 85 TJ (23.6 GWh) of annual energy consumption
Formal refusals and bans since 2025
Verified decisions only.
Decisions on single sites
- 10 Jul 2026 Alixan, Drôme Building permit suspended by an administrative courtStanding; further appeal pending
- 12 Jun 2026 Le Bourget, near Paris Building permit withdrawn by the mayorStanding; challenged in court
Decisions from 1 Jan 2025; statuses checked 21 Oct 2026.
What changed
The latest changes to these rules on the tracker, newest first.
- 18 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: EED energy management systems, Article 11 (In force as a Directive duty on Member States; deadline not yet reached).
Questions
Which rules apply to a data centre in France?
Our tracker lists 7 rules for building and running a data centre in France, national and EU, and 4 of them are in force.
What is the next date for data centre rules in France?
The next date is 14 Dec 2026: the EU Commission's minimum performance standards consultation and call for evidence closes.
Sources
From the European data-centre regulation tracker, which cites the legal text for every rule. Data-centre market data for France.
Not legal advice. Confirm each duty against the text itself.