US tech companies including Microsoft successfully lobbied the EU to keep the environmental impact of their datacentres secret, an investigation has found. A confidentiality clause, adopted almost word for word from industry demands, blocks public access to key environmental metrics for individual datacentres.
The provision, added to the EU's energy efficiency directive in 2024, hinders scrutiny of pollution from the rapidly expanding datacentre sector. Legal experts warn it may violate EU transparency rules and the Aarhus convention on public access to environmental information.
Documents obtained by Investigate Europe show the clause has already been used to shield datacentres from scrutiny. In an email, a senior European Commission official reminded national authorities to keep information confidential, citing requests from the media that were refused.
The EU aims to triple datacentre capacity within five to seven years as it pursues AI leadership. Industry groups DigitalEurope and Video Games Europe, alongside Microsoft, pushed for the secrecy during consultations, arguing commercial interests justified withholding data.
Critics say the blanket confidentiality undermines efforts to monitor emissions from datacentres, which are driving increased fossil gas use. Microsoft stated it supports transparency but must protect confidential business information. The Commission declined to comment on the controversy.
