Infrastructure Resilience Briefing — November 27, 2024

Executive briefing: The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre published the 2024 best practices update for the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres on November 27, 2024, tightening requirements on power-usage effectiveness (PUE) targets, waste-heat reuse, and renewable sourcing. The International Energy Agency’s Data Centres and Data Transmission Networks 2024 report corroborates the energy surge from AI and cloud demand, forecasting global electricity use doubling by 2026 without efficiency interventions.

Key industry signals

Mandatory reporting. The Code of Conduct now expects participants to publish annual PUE, water usage, and carbon intensity metrics.
Heat reuse incentives. EU operators are urged to document feasibility studies for district heating integration, aligning with the Energy Efficiency Directive.
Global energy outlook. IEA estimates data-centre electricity demand reaching 1,000 TWh by 2026, emphasizing efficiency investments to stay within climate targets.

Control alignment

ISO 50001 energy management. Integrate Code of Conduct metrics into energy performance indicators and management review cycles.
EU sustainability reporting. Map IEA demand projections and Code obligations to CSRD disclosures and taxonomy-aligned capital plans.

Detection and response priorities

Deploy continuous monitoring for PUE, WUE, and carbon intensity; set alerts when facilities drift from the updated Code thresholds.
Track energy market signals and grid decarbonisation plans highlighted by IEA to anticipate cost and emissions volatility.

Enablement moves

Launch cross-functional heat reuse initiatives with municipal partners to capture tax incentives and compliance credits.
Update client sustainability briefs to reflect Code commitments, enabling co-location customers to report on shared infrastructure metrics.

Sources

Zeph Tech enables operators to evidence sustainability leadership while meeting EU efficiency expectations.