Britain’s largest proposed datacentre is underreporting the scale of its planned water use, according to an analysis.
The first phase of construction of a hyperscale campus in Cambois, Northumberland has been given the go-ahead by the local council. US operator QTS, which is developing the site, has promoted its “water-free” cooling system as proof of its sustainability.
But research published this week questions that claim. A study of the electricity and water footprints of AI production by data scientist Alex de Vries-Gao highlights the under-estimated scale of indirect, or embedded, water consumption due to datacenter operations.
According to documents submitted to Northumberland County Council, QTS estimates that the two initial data halls will consume 2.3 million liters of water annually. Yet according to analysis by Watershed Investigations and the Guardian, applying De Vries-Gao’s methodology to the power output required for the site’s AI servers produces a figure of more than 50 times that, at 124 million liters per year.
When all 10 planned halls are operational, the Cambois complex could indirectly consume approximately 621 million liters of water annually – equivalent to the average annual use of more than 11,000 people.
The company uses a closed-loop system, which typically uses the same water repeatedly for cooling, but uses more energy to cool the machines. QTS says its direct datacenter operations will not put any strain on water supplies for people in the north-east.
In a statement, QTS said: “Our electricity is generally carbon neutral and comes from a range of sources including wind, hydro, nuclear, tidal etc. QTS does not control the amount of water used in the electricity generation process.”
But according to De Vries-Gao, datacenter operators must acknowledge the water footprint associated with their huge energy demands, in the same way that power-intensive industries are held responsible for the carbon emissions generated by their electricity consumption.
De Vries-Gao said: “The datacenter operator will be responsible for generating the electricity demand that will lead to this water consumption. For this reason, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol already mandates disclosure of indirect emissions related to electricity consumption.”
Another potentially underreported problem is air pollution in datacenters from increased power generation and potential overuse of diesel generators.
In the US, researchers and environmental groups have warned about worsening air quality as a result of increased emissions of fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from power plants and backup generators datacenters rely on. The increased emissions are the result of increased electricity demand for the production of AI systems, According to a recent studyThe evidence linking datacenter growth to harmful health outcomes from air pollution is already “very strong,” according to Xiaolei Ren of the University of California, one of the study’s authors,
“What is missing is awareness and accurate quantitative accounting. The key gap is that we still do not know in a transparent and systematic way how much air pollution data centers actually contribute at the local and regional levels,” Ren said.
common pollutants These include ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and lead, which harm human health and the wider environment.
This pollution is not simply the result of power generation from the grid. A proportion often comes from highly polluting diesel generators, installed to ensure the almost continuous “uptime” demanded by the datacenter and AI industry.
Once completed, the Cambois complex will rely on approximately 600 diesel generators for “backup” power – up to 58 per data hall. QTS estimates that regular testing of the system would mean running each generator for five hours a year.
Generators are designated as backup power systems for use in emergencies if the grid fails. But in Virginia’s “Datacenter Alley,” a hub where QTS has a datacenter, regulators are considering increasing the use of diesel generators for planned outages, while environmentalists warn of pressure to allow generators during grid stress.
Julie Bolthouse of the Piedmont Environmental Council, a conservation organization, said: “The conditions under which they can run and exactly how often and for how long they can run the thousands of generators we allow in Virginia are increasing. Once the generators are installed it is only a matter of time before they are used up.”
The potential impact of this scenario playing out in Cambois could have a negative impact on the health of the local community. The Cambois Primary School playground has been identified by QTS as being directly affected by emissions from the generator.
In a statement, QTS said: “Generators may occasionally be used on a temporary basis to meet power needs while a permanent connection is finalized, but the primary use of generators is for emergency backup purposes.
“Diesel generators are not the main source of power for our datacentres. The generators are tested for a short period of time once a month for routine maintenance. Each data center has publicly available emissions limits and our normal operations are designed to stay well within those requirements. In the extremely unlikely event of a complete grid outage in the UK, backup generators will only run for the duration of such grid outage and at reduced power. With respect to Virginia, QTS has zero on our competitors. Have control.”
