Key Takeaways:
- The UK’s largest proposed datacentre in Cambois, Northumberland, may be understating its planned water use, with estimates suggesting it could indirectly consume up to 621m litres of water annually.
- The datacentre’s "water-free" cooling system may not be as sustainable as claimed, with research suggesting that the site’s massive energy demands could lead to significant indirect water consumption.
- The datacentre’s air pollution from increased power generation and potential diesel generator use could have negative effects on the local community’s health.
- The company’s use of diesel generators for backup power could lead to increased emissions of fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which can damage human health and the environment.
- The datacentre’s impact on the local community’s health and environment is a concern, with the nearby primary school’s playground identified as directly affected by emissions from the generators.
Introduction to the Datacentre
The UK’s largest proposed datacentre, located in Cambois, Northumberland, has been given the go-ahead by the local council, with the first phase of construction underway. The datacentre, developed by US operator QTS, has been promoted as a sustainable facility, with a "water-free" cooling system. However, research published recently has called into question the scale of the datacentre’s planned water use, suggesting that it may be significantly higher than initially estimated. The study, conducted by data scientist Alex de Vries-Gao, highlights the underestimated scale of indirect, or embedded, water consumption caused by datacentre operations.
Water Consumption Estimates
According to QTS, the two initial data halls will consume 2.3m litres of water annually, based on documents submitted to Northumberland county council. However, applying De Vries-Gao’s methodology to the electricity generation required for the site’s AI servers produces a figure more than 50 times higher, at 124m litres a year. When all 10 planned halls are operational, the Cambois campus could indirectly consume about 621m litres annually, equivalent to the average yearly use of more than 11,000 people. QTS has stated that its power is typically carbon neutral and comes from a range of sources, including wind, hydro, nuclear, and tidal power. However, De Vries-Gao argues that datacentre operators must acknowledge the water footprint linked to their massive energy demands, in the same way that power-intensive industries are held accountable for the carbon emissions generated by their electricity consumption.
Air Pollution Concerns
Another potentially understated problem is the air pollution from the datacentre, resulting from increased power generation and potential greater use of diesel generators than stated. In the US, researchers and environmental groups have sounded the alarm about worsening air quality due to growing emissions of fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from power plants and backup generators used by datacentres. Increased emissions are a result of surging power demand to produce AI systems, according to a recent study. The evidence connecting datacentre growth to harmful health outcomes from air pollution is already "very strong", according to Shaolei Ren of the University of California, one of the study’s authors. Common pollutants include ozone, fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead, which damage human health and the wider environment.
Diesel Generator Use
The Cambois campus will rely on nearly 600 diesel generators for "backup" power, with up to 58 generators per data hall. QTS estimates that regular testing of the system would mean running each generator for five hours a year. However, regulators in Virginia’s "datacentre alley", where QTS has a datacentre, are considering expanding diesel generator use for planned outages, while environmentalists have warned of pressure to permit generators during grid stress. The potential impact of this scenario playing out in Cambois could have negative effects on the local community’s health, with the nearby primary school’s playground identified as directly affected by emissions from the generators. QTS has stated that generators are not the main source of power for its datacentres and are only used for emergency backup purposes, but environmentalists are concerned about the potential for increased use of diesel generators.
Community Impact
The potential impact of the datacentre on the local community’s health and environment is a concern. The nearby primary school’s playground has been identified as directly affected by emissions from the generators, and the increased air pollution from the datacentre could have negative effects on the health of local residents. QTS has stated that its normal operations are designed to stay within publicly available emissions limits, but environmentalists are calling for greater transparency and accountability from the company. The datacentre’s impact on the local community’s health and environment will be an important issue to monitor as the facility becomes operational.