Italy region: +200% tax on datacenters built in green/agricultural areas

Lombardy has become Italy's first region to approve a law discouraging datacentre construction by imposing tax increases of 100% in agricultural areas and 200% in green spaces, while offering incentives for reusing abandoned industrial sites. The measure aims to control the environmental and energy impact of datacentre expansion, which has concentrated heavily in Lombardy—accounting for 63% of Italy's datacentre applications and half of the country's €22 billion in planned investments. The law was approved on May 26, 2026, with amendments from the Lega group that increased the originally proposed charges from 50-75%.