Data-center law in Latvia

Likums 'Par ietekmes uz vidi novērtējumu', 1. pielikuma 2. punkts un 2. pielikuma 3. punkta 1. apakšpunkts

Effective 2026-07-01 · Applies to both

A full environmental impact assessment is required for a thermal power plant or other combustion installation with a capacity of 100 megawatts or more, per item 2 of Annex 1. A lighter initial screening applies to industrial equipment for producing electricity, steam, or hot water where the input thermal capacity exceeds 50 megawatts, per item 3(1) of Annex 2. Both annexes were most recently amended with effect from 1 July 2026.

Source: Full text of law

Elektroenerģijas tirgus likums, 9. un 9.1 pants

Effective 2025-04-24 · Applies to both

An end-user may apply, under Cabinet of Ministers procedure, for a special connection to the transmission system or an increase of an existing transmission-system connection's capacity where its electricity consumption after connection will grow by at least 100,000 megawatt-hours a year or the connection's nominal capacity is at least 50 megawatts. The Cabinet sets uniform special-connection rules covering the application, review, connection procedure, and required guarantees.

The system operator has an ongoing obligation to provide a connection to a system participant meeting the operator's technical requirements, under regulator-issued connection rules, but may refuse a connection where the network's capacity is insufficient, giving written reasons within 30 days of receiving the application.

An electricity end-user, other than a distribution system operator, pays the transmission system operator a security deposit to reserve system capacity when a new end-user facility is planned for connection to the transmission system, refunded once the facility is connected unless the failure to connect is not the operator's fault.

Source: Full text of law

Energoefektivitātes likums, 12. 1 pants

Effective 2025-04-18 · Applies to both

The Law's article on energy efficiency in data centres requires owners and operators of a data centre whose installed information technology infrastructure power demand on the last day of the calendar year is at least 500 kilowatts to report to the European data centre database every year by 15 May, for the previous calendar year, the information set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364.

Owners and operators also publish the information they reported to the database on their own website. The duty does not extend to information that law protects as a commercial secret, business secret or confidential information.

The duty does not apply to data centres included in critical infrastructure, to data centres that provide or maintain information systems that are information and communications technology critical infrastructure, or to data centres whose only purpose of use or service is civil security and defence.

Those excluded data centres whose installed power demand for services to other legal persons exceeds 500 kilowatts must still report every year by 15 May, but only for the part of the data centre infrastructure used to provide services to other legal persons. The Law uses the term data centre in the sense of the National Cybersecurity Law. That article took effect on 18 April 2025, in the wording of the law of 20 March 2025.

Source: Full text of law