Lombardy protests mega data center in Lacchiarella over environmental risks

Around 200 residents gathered in Lacchiarella, a town of about 9,000 in the Milan‑Pavia area, to protest a €3 billion data‑center project promoted by the multinational Apto and funded by the Pimco fund (Allianz group). The plan calls for five buildings covering roughly 230,000 m² – the size of 30 football fields – and would install 300 MW of power, comparable to the electricity use of 500,000 households or the whole city of Bologna.

Opponents highlight several environmental and safety concerns. The centre would require large volumes of fresh water for cooling and would host up to 160 diesel generators, which could emit greenhouse gases amounting to about 10 % of Milan’s total output. Original designs called for 4.2 million litres of diesel storage, exceeding the EU Seveso industrial‑risk limits; the company later reduced tank size but other hazardous substances (biocides, refrigerants, battery electrolytes) remain. A study by a University of Pavia physicist estimates the plant could raise local temperatures by up to 5 °C and by 1–2 °C within a few kilometres, creating a heat‑island effect.

The Ministry of the Environment has already granted approval, but protesters argue that public consultation was lacking and that the new Lombardy regional law on data centres provides only weak water‑use limits and higher fees, without enforceable safeguards. They call for stricter public governance of the surrounding infrastructure – including 700,000 m² of new power lines and cabinets – and for the project to be classified as a strategic national infrastructure subject to tighter oversight. Similar large‑scale data‑center projects are already underway across the region, attracted by nearby submarine fibre‑optic cables (BlueMed and 2Africa).