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Amsterdam is preparing to negotiate environmental targets with datacentre operators after city representatives passed a regulatory statement that raised the environmental concerns of its left-leaning council chamber without imposing “strict” rules that it had threatened for the data-tech sector. The Netherlands capital’s long-awaited datacentre policy, in preparation for which it stopped issuing building permits for major datacentre construction projects 18 months ago, will nevertheless have a significant impact on the sector, according to official documents. The December vote passed an historic declaration that Amsterdam city centre, which co-hosts continental Europe’s largest conglomeration of datacentres, would effectively extend its suspension of construction permits for a further five years. Beyond 2025, Amsterdam officials could not be certain that the city’s electricity grid would be capable of accommodating any more large datacentres. Officials told Computer Weekly they were drafting plans with grid operator Liander to ...