Summary
- Terna recorded six data centre transmission connection requests in Rho totalling 650MW as of 31 August.
- Mayor Andrea Orlandi asked Lombardy to convene an intergovernmental discussion about its data centre rules.
- The letter was publicly reported on 9 October; its precise signature date remains unverified.
The mayor of Rho, near Milan, has asked the Lombardy regional government to reconsider how it oversees data centre development after disclosing that six requests for electricity transmission connections associated with local data centres total 650MW. The figures, attributed to an access-to-information response from Terna, describe prospective requests rather than completed supply contracts.
Mayor Andrea Orlandi’s letter to regional energy official Massimo Sertori was published by local outlet SempioneNews on 9 October. Its precise signature date has not been independently verified. The disclosure is a separate development from the protests against data centre plans in Rho reported earlier in the month.
Connection requests signal interest, not guaranteed demand
Orlandi’s letter says the six requests were recorded as of 31 August 2026. A total of 650MW would be material for a municipality, but it does not mean six campuses will be built or that the electricity network has approved the full amount. Some requests may change, overlap or be withdrawn as developers refine projects.
Grid applications also lack the same status as planning permission. Developers may explore electricity availability while land-use, environmental, financing and construction questions are still unresolved. A request might be needed to establish the economics of a proposed location before an applicant can justify committing to a full site design.
Actual data centre demand depends on the capacity eventually connected and installed, the efficiency of power and cooling equipment, and the utilisation of the computing halls. Even a confirmed supply agreement may authorise capacity that is brought into use over several years rather than immediately.
The municipality wants a regional process
Orlandi asked for structured talks involving the regional government, affected municipalities and relevant institutions such as Terna. The objective is to examine how Lombardy’s existing data centre legislation applies to local decisions and whether changes are necessary.
The request follows concern about land use, electricity demand and public involvement as additional proposals emerge around Milan. It is not itself a legislative amendment or a moratorium. Any alteration to the regional framework would need to follow a separate political and legal process.
A transmission connection request can also affect the planning debate well before a data centre exists. Local authorities need to evaluate land, transport, water and other public infrastructure, while high-voltage connections may require route works and additional electrical installations beyond the proposed data hall boundary.
The letter gives that discussion a measurable basis by giving a measurable indication of the size of current developer interest. They do not establish how much capacity Terna will connect, when it could be available or whether the resulting applications satisfy environmental requirements.
The mayor’s request follows an earlier wave of local protests, which DataCentral covered before this letter was disclosed. The new evidence is the specific aggregate capacity sought in transmission applications and the formal request for consultation with the regional government, not a fresh vote on a particular data centre site.
Terna’s response, as reproduced by the mayor, gives a snapshot of applications as at 31 August. Those requests can change or be withdrawn as a developer tests commercial and planning options. Nothing in the letter establishes that Terna has accepted each application or that all six would be built concurrently.
The next verifiable events would include the regional government’s response, formal amendments to data centre rules, and application-level decisions identifying which projects advance. Until then, Rho’s 650MW is an aggregate of requested power, not a new operational data centre estate.
