National Data Centers Plan | Council of Ministers Resolution no. 70/2026

Council of Ministers Resolution No. 70/2026, published on April 13, 2026, approves the National Data Centers Plan (NDCP) and its corresponding Action Plan for 2026–2027.

This Resolution is part of the National Digital Strategy and the National Artificial Intelligence Agenda and aims to position Portugal as a competitive European hub for the development of critical computational capacity, strengthening digital sovereignty and attracting strategic investment.

It represents a positive development, as it reinforces the conditions for developing data centre projects in Portugal by simplifying and increasing the efficiency of applicable procedures. It also establishes an integrated national strategic framework aimed at transforming the current fragmented project portfolio into executable initiatives.

The intervention set out in the Resolution is structured around four areas of action, with the following initiatives defined for each:
 

• Regulation and Governance: includes strengthening AICEP as the central point of contact for investors; reviewing and simplifying licensing procedures; monitoring the project portfolio; and harmonizing evaluation criteria across entities.
   
• Energy and Infrastructure: provides for the identification and preparation of pre-established zones with prior licensing and supporting infrastructure, the integration of energy efficiency criteria, and the mapping of national value chains.
   
• Demand and Market: includes the centralization of public demand for computational capacity, the definition of guidelines for State participation in strategic projects, and the creation of a single information portal for investors.
   
• Territory and Ecosystem: covers the development of benefit-sharing models with local communities, the promotion of academic and technological hubs, and the requirement for territorial reversibility mechanisms in projects.

Among the most relevant initiatives planned for the first half of 2026, the following stand out:

1. Review of applicable procedures, aimed at simplifying, streamlining, and accelerating them, ensuring the rationalization of steps, efficient processing, greater coordination between competent entities, and compliance with maximum deadlines for decision-making and implementation, while fully maintaining all applicable legal, technical, and environmental requirements. 

2. Identification and establishment of pre-qualified zones, a measure aimed at:

1. Mapping and selecting areas with suitable technical, energy, environmental, and territorial conditions;
    
2. Preparing such areas as pre-established zones for data center projects, ensuring coordination with responsible economic zones, business location areas, and renewable energy acceleration zones, as well as integration into spatial planning instruments;
    
3. Ensuring prior urban planning approvals, conducting environmental assessments under a simplified model, building basic supporting infrastructure (e.g., roads), and securing grid connection conditions through coordinated planning with operators;
    
4. Providing that, if these zones are not used for data centers, they may be allocated to other uses compatible with spatial planning. 

Funding for these initiatives will primarily be ensured through European funds, and monitoring will be carried out by the State Systems and Technologies Network, under Decree-Law No. 85/2026 of April 13.

The Resolution enters into force on the day following its publication.

For further information, the full text of the resolution is available here.