Italian utility company A2A is planning its first data center in Lombardy, Italy.

According to reports from Reuters, the utility plans to commence construction in 2027, with operations at the data center expected to begin the following year.

Its CEO, Renato Mazzoncini, said the utility plans to invest around €1.6 billion ($1.86bn) in the construction and management of new data centers over a ten-year period, stretching to 2035.

The company is currently working on three data center projects across Lombardy, with details regarding capacity and location not disclosed. DCD reached out to A2A for further information.

In October, Mazzoncini claimed that data centers in Milan, the capital of Lombardy, are expected to add around 2GW of capacity over the next five years, representing a tenfold increase from current levels. At present, the city hosts approximately 200MW of installed capacity. In order to meet the rising demand, local authorities have supported a ramp-up in renewable generation and thermal power capacity.

Milan has seen a spate of new data center announcements this year. For example, in July, Eni partnered with Khazna Data Centers to develop a 500MW AI data center campus in Ferrera Erbognone, Lombardy.

A2A is Italy's third-largest utility by customer numbers and the largest in Lombardy. The utility has around 9GW of installed capacity. It aims to deploy 3.7GW of new wind and solar power by 2035 while also managing a significant portion of grid capacity. In November, the firm raised its total projected investments for 2024-2035 to €23bn ($26.7bn), during which it announced its aim to become a data center developer and a power producer.