In an October 16, 2026 report, El Confidencial described three separate encounters involving Spain DC, Microsoft, Google and Juan José Ganuza, president of Spain’s competition regulator, the CNMC. Spain DC met Ganuza on September 10; Microsoft executive Lisa Monaco attended the same private IE University breakfast as Ganuza on October 1; and Google executive Kent Walker met Ganuza on October 8. Microsoft said Monaco did not hold a bilateral meeting with the CNMC, while the CNMC said Walker’s conversation concerned competition, not data-center regulation. (El Confidencial)
The reported meetings and CNMC timeline
The encounters were distinct, and the CNMC report followed its own timeline. El Confidencial reported that Spain DC presented objections to the proposed decree and discussed potential investment consequences at its September meeting with Ganuza and his team. Microsoft’s clarification concerned Monaco’s shared attendance at a breakfast, not a bilateral CNMC meeting. For Walker’s October 8 meeting, the CNMC characterized the subject as competition; Google declined to comment to El Confidencial.
| Date | Event |
| September 10, 2026 | Spain DC met Ganuza and his team to present objections to the proposed decree. |
| September 22, 2026 | The CNMC approved its report on the proposed requirements. |
| October 1, 2026 | Monaco and Ganuza attended the same private IE University breakfast; Microsoft said they did not hold a bilateral CNMC meeting. |
| October 8, 2026 | Walker met Ganuza; the CNMC said their conversation concerned competition, not data-center regulation. |
| October 9, 2026 | The CNMC report’s conclusions became public. |
El Confidencial reported that the CNMC approved its report on September 22, before the October encounters, and that its conclusions became public on October 9.
What the proposed energy rules would require
As described by El Confidencial on October 16, the draft would require data centers to cover at least 80% of their consumption with new renewable generation. It would also require an hourly correlation between generation and consumption. In practical terms, the proposal paired a minimum share of new renewable supply with a requirement to align generation and use hour by hour.
At the time of that report, the draft had received more than 600 submissions and was awaiting review by Spain’s Council of State.
Why one data-center executive says Spain appeals
In an English-language interview published May 19, 2026, James Matthews, commercial director of Tillion Data Centers, pointed to streamlined processes for building and generating power, as well as Spain’s wind and solar resources, as reasons the country—and Zaragoza in particular—appeals to data-center investors. He also discussed working with local councils to prevent power squatting and ensure projects make viable use of capacity. Those are Matthews’s industry perspective, not a description of the later meetings.
