The initiative Digital Valley Asturias has filed a constitutional complaint with the Principado de Asturias has applied for its project to be classified as a Proyecto de Interés Estratégico Regional The planned data campus is to be built at the Polígono de Nonaya at the production site in the municipality of Salas and will bring together data centre infrastructure for storing, processing and managing large volumes of data, as well as artificial intelligence applications. The regional government puts the investment at around €1.23 billion and points to a gradual ramp-up to full operation around 2030.
The initiative’s application for classification as a project of regional strategic interest is intended to enable the permits to be processed more quickly and in a coordinated manner. The main priorities are energy and fibre-optic connections, the provision of suitable land on the industrial estate and the coordination of assessment procedures. Technical and environmental assessment requirements will remain in place. The regional government will decide on the formal PIER designation once the necessary assessments have been completed.
Regional media have named the company behind the initiative as Sales For You Consulting S.L. , which has presented the project under the Digital Valley Asturias brand. As things stand, no specific construction or operating permits or binding funding commitments have been secured. Preliminary documents refer to employment effects ranging from several hundred to just over 1,300 jobs by 2030; these figures depend on the project’s final scope and phased implementation.
The project is generally welcomed in political and business circles because it could diversify the regional economy and create value beyond heavy industry. Conditions have also been highlighted: credible milestones, reliable supplies of renewable energy, water and land availability, and full environmental impact assessments. Environmental groups have drawn attention to the possibility that parts of the site lie in an area at potential risk of flooding; this would need to be examined during the approval process and taken into account in planning if necessary.
Spain is meanwhile tightening requirements for the energy supply to data centres, a growing policy area in Asturias too. The regional government says a high share of renewable energy will be needed to integrate new major consumers into the grid. Whether, and to what extent, the planned investment in Salas goes ahead will now depend on official decisions, the timely provision of grid infrastructure and the investors’ final financing agreements.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).