UK Datacentre Water Use Sparks Sustainability Concerns

Published: 19 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

The UK’s largest planned datacentre in Cambois, Northumberland, is reportedly understating its anticipated water consumption. QTS, the US-based operator behind the project, promotes a “water-free” cooling system, presenting it as a sustainable solution for its hyperscale AI campus. Local council approval has been granted for the first phase, covering two initial data halls, yet new research casts doubt on the operator’s claims regarding water use efficiency.

Alex de Vries-Gao, a data scientist, has published a study examining the indirect or embedded water consumption tied to datacentre energy demands. His analysis suggests that QTS’s own estimate of 2.3 million litres of water annually for the two initial halls severely underrepresents the true impact. When accounting for the electricity required to power AI servers, the figure rises sharply to approximately 124 million litres per year, according to independent scrutiny by Watershed Investigations and reporting by the Guardian.

The full ten-hall development could potentially consume 621 million litres annually, roughly matching the average yearly water usage of more than 11,000 residents. QTS employs a closed-loop system that reuses water repeatedly for cooling, reducing direct water withdrawal but increasing energy demands. The company maintains that local water supplies will not be affected by its operations.

In response, QTS emphasized that its power is largely carbon neutral, sourced from wind, hydro, nuclear, and tidal energy. The operator stated, “QTS does not control the quantity of any water utilised in the power generation process,” stressing that responsibility for water use linked to electricity production lies elsewhere.

De Vries-Gao insists datacentre operators must acknowledge the indirect water footprint from the energy their facilities demand, just as industries are held accountable for emissions linked to electricity consumption. “The datacentre operator will be responsible for creating the power demand which leads to the consumption of this water. Disclosure is essential, as the greenhouse gas protocol already mandates transparency for indirect emissions,” he said.

Air pollution is another concern potentially understated by the company. Increased emissions from power generation and diesel backup generators raise risks to local air quality. In the US, research demonstrates that datacentre-related emissions of fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides are contributing to measurable health impacts. Shaolei Ren, a University of California researcher, highlighted the lack of systematic, transparent data on how datacentres contribute to local and regional air pollution, noting that the evidence linking emissions to harmful outcomes is already significant.

Pollutants of concern include ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead, all of which pose risks to human health and the environment. Diesel generators, critical for maintaining near-constant uptime in AI operations, are a particular source of localized emissions.

The Cambois campus, when completed, will house nearly 600 diesel generators for emergency backup, with up to 58 per data hall. QTS projects each generator would operate for five hours annually under routine testing, though environmentalists caution that real-world usage may be higher. In Virginia’s “datacentre alley,” QTS has faced scrutiny over incremental increases in diesel generator use during grid stress, raising concerns about community exposure to emissions.

Julie Bolthouse of the Piedmont Environmental Council warned that generator deployment can gradually increase over time, eventually running more frequently than intended. Such a scenario in Cambois could negatively affect local residents’ health, with QTS identifying Cambois primary school playgrounds as potentially impacted by emissions.

QTS responded that generators are primarily for emergency backup, tested monthly for maintenance, and designed to stay within regulated emissions limits. The company maintains that diesel generators are not the main power source and would only operate during grid outages. Regarding operations in Virginia, QTS stated it has no control over competitor practices.

Environmental groups continue to urge stricter scrutiny and transparent reporting to ensure both water usage and air quality impacts are fully understood. Experts stress the importance of considering both direct and indirect environmental consequences from large-scale datacentres, particularly as AI computing demands continue to rise.

The Cambois development highlights the challenges of balancing technological expansion with environmental stewardship, underlining the necessity of independent verification of corporate sustainability claims. As AI infrastructure expands globally, the debate over water and air impacts will likely intensify, requiring regulators, developers, and communities to engage proactively.