Water Shortfall Threatens UK Datacentre Expansion

Water UK, the trade body for water companies in Britain and Northern Ireland, warned that the United Kingdom lacks sufficient water to meet the needs of existing and planned datacentres. In a briefing to MPs, the organisation said government forecasts “fatally flawed” and that AI growth policies make “not a single mention of water.” The warning comes as the government seeks to triple datacentre capacity by 2030, designating the facilities as critical national infrastructure.

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Water UK estimates current datacentre consumption at 6.6 million litres of drinking water per day in England, a figure that could rise to 19.8 million litres daily if capacity triples. Individual sites in the Affinity Water region have requested up to 3 million litres per day—equivalent to the peak demand of 3,500 homes. A May House of Lords report projected a 5 billion-litre-per-day shortfall for public supplies by 2055, and England is already 220 million litres per day short of forecasted water availability.

The Guardian

Water UK deputy director Jon Chappel called the situation “unforgivable” and a “genuine failing of government,” urging the publication of a drought hierarchy to prioritize water use during shortages. The government responded that “the environment and sustainable development must go hand-in-hand” and pledged “record levels of infrastructure investment and building nine new reservoirs” to protect supplies while unlocking growth. Water companies have reduced leakage by about 40 % since privatisation and aim for a further 17 % cut by 2030.

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Environmental campaigner Oliver Hayes (Global Action Plan) questioned the designation of datacentres as critical infrastructure, noting that water companies may be powerless to limit their consumption, potentially prioritising datacentres over households during droughts. He warned that the sector could enable “benign and very wasteful, pointless things” while receiving favourable resource treatment.

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• “There appears to be an assumption that the country will always have enough water for its economic needs,” — Water UK briefing

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• “The planning framework is built around household growth and per-capita consumption, and has not adapted to commercial users whose water needs can match those of a market town,” — Affinity Water submission

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• “unforgivable” and a “genuine failing of government.” — Jon Chappel, deputy director, Water UK

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• “I think it is highly likely that we’re going to end up seeing datacentres that are actually running chatbots, or enabling people to do benign and very wasteful, pointless things, protected and given favourable treatment when it comes to resources,” — Oliver Hayes, Global Action Plan

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• “Without this there will be a trade-off across society” — Jon Chappel, Water UK

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• “A government spokesperson said: “The environment and sustainable development must go hand-in-hand and we will protect our water supply while unlocking growth, including looking at alternatives or ways to minimise impact on supplies and output of wastewater from datacentres.” — Government spokesperson

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