Government Must 'Slam the Brakes' on New Data Centres or Put Communities at Risk of Water Shortages, Urges Green Party
The party wants annual water and electricity reporting, tighter planning rules and community veto power as England’s centres use about 1.9 billion litres a year, PA Media said.
- Green Party leader Zack Polanski called for a freeze on new data center approvals in England, warning that 'rampant building' threatens community water supplies and drives up energy bills.
- Since 2024, data centers have been designated as critical infrastructure, putting them on equal footing with emergency services and making planning permission easier, which Polanski argues forces the public to take a 'poor second' place.
- The Water Research Centre estimated that centers in England use about 1.9bn litres of drinkable water annually, roughly 0.2% of the non-household market, though the industry lacks official reporting requirements.
- Mark Acton, executive director of the Data Centre Alliance, disputed usage concerns, noting centers use less water than leisure facilities, while The Government stated they remain 'critical to nearly all economic activity and public services.'
- Curling, co-executive director of Foxglove, suggested authorities mandate that developers fully fund costs and build renewable energy or storage capacity, ensuring new facilities do not drain local water supplies.
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12 Articles
Zack Polanski Calls for Temporary Ban on ‘Energy Guzzling’ Data Centres
Zack Polanski has told the government to “slam the brakes” on “water-guzzling” data centres. In an interview with the BBC on Friday, the Green party leader accused Labour of prioritising “AI tech billionaires” over water-stressed communities – at a time when most of the country is already in drought. He urged prime minister Andy Burnham to pause the construction of new centres, citing concerns that their environmental impact has not been proper…
Green Party leader Zack Polanski calls for data centre freeze in England; says they 'guzzle' energy, water
UK News: Green Party leader Zack Polanski urges a moratorium on new data centres in England, citing their excessive water and energy consumption. He calls for stricter regulations and local control over these developments.
The government of Pedro Sánchez has just issued a royal decree that demands that data centers be fed 80% of renewable energy sources, something that the sector collects as a threat to the implementation of this infrastructure in Spain. Thus, the restrictive regulation threatens a direct investment and ... Continue reading "The government threatens an investment of 66.9 billion and 16,000 jobs by restricting data centers"
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