The UK's water crisis is a ticking time bomb, and the country's datacentre plans are a major contributor to this impending disaster. The water industry has spoken out against the government's AI growth plans, warning that the UK will not have enough water to support the growing number of datacentres. This is a critical issue that demands immediate attention and action.
Datacentres are power-hungry beasts, requiring vast amounts of water to manage the heat generated by their servers. Cooling towers, chillers, and humidification systems all rely on this precious resource, and the indirect consumption of water through high electrical power needs further exacerbates the problem. The water industry's concerns are well-founded, as the government's water forecasts are indeed 'fatally flawed' and fail to account for the water demands of datacentres.
The government's silence on water in its AI growth zones, AI for science strategy, and AI opportunities action plan is concerning. The Environment Agency's national framework for water resources, published in June 2025, also omits any estimate of water demands for datacentres. This assumption that the country will always have enough water is dangerous and short-sighted.
The reality is that England is already facing a 5 billion-litre daily shortfall in public water supplies by 2055, according to a House of Lords report. Water-stressed areas, particularly in the south and east of England, are already under pressure, with more than three-quarters of datacentres located in these regions. The situation is dire, and the government's inaction is a betrayal of its citizens.
Water UK highlights the impossibility of new datacentre growth in these areas without policy change, given the existing network pressure. The trade body warns that increasing water extraction from the environment or building new supplies, such as major reservoirs, is a risky and time-consuming solution. The current leakage and demand targets are already ambitious, and further strain on the network could have detrimental environmental consequences.
Greenpeace adds fuel to the fire, revealing that water companies are wasting five times more water through leaky pipes than a national hosepipe ban would save. This is a shocking revelation and a testament to the urgency of the situation. The UK's highest concentration of datacentres in Slough, served by Affinity Water, further underscores the problem, with proposed or under-construction datacentres requesting up to 3 million litres of water a day.
The planning framework, designed for household growth and per-capita consumption, is ill-equipped to handle the water needs of commercial users like datacentres. The Environment Agency's permitting requirements force datacentres to use drinking water exclusively, resulting in a daily consumption of 6.6 million litres in England. With the government's ambitious goal to triple datacentre capacity by 2030, this number could soar to 19.8 million litres a day.
Jon Chappel, Water UK's deputy director, calls this a 'genuine failing of government'. The current water shortfall in England is 220 million litres more per day than assumed in forecasts, and the industry is already under pressure to meet this deficit. The trade body has requested a drought hierarchy to prioritise sectors in times of water shortages, but the government has yet to respond.
The situation in Ireland is similar, with hosepipe bans and criticism of water companies and the government over datacentre water usage. The designation of datacentres as critical national infrastructure raises concerns about prioritisation during peak water demand. Oliver Hayes, from the campaign group Global Action Plan, warns of the potential for datacentres to be protected and given favourable treatment, at the expense of households.
The government's response is a mixed bag. While it acknowledges the need to protect water supplies and unlock growth, it also plans to invest in infrastructure and build new reservoirs. However, the delay in publishing a national policy statement for AI growth and the lack of a drought hierarchy leave a sense of uncertainty and urgency unmet.
In conclusion, the UK's water crisis is a complex and pressing issue, and the government's datacentre plans are a significant contributor. The water industry's concerns are valid, and the government must take immediate action to address this crisis. The future of the UK's water supply and the environment depends on it.
