Google’s data center file in Bissen was at a standstill. It’s still standing still, judging by the giant’s laconic answer to a question from Paperjam. But the situation may have changed somewhat with the publication last week of the first data on water consumption of Google data centers for the year 2021, in line with the commitments made at the end of 2022.
According to these few figures and in general, American data centers have consumed 16.4 billion liters of water… in the United States. Only that the figure includes a line “other places on the planet” in front of which is the figure of 3.675 billion liters, with no further details on the places that are integrated into this premise of water transparency.
Far from 5 to 10% of the Meco
For another, more interesting figure, we read in the press release published on the same occasion that “Google’s data centers consume, on average, 450,000 liters of water a day”. That is 1.7 million liters or 1,700 m³ per day.
If we relate this figure to Luxembourg’s consumption of 120,000 m³ of water per day, Google’s would represent 1.41%. Quite far from the 5-10%, always cited by the Ecological Movement (Meco).
In its 2021 analysis it indicated that “water consumption – according to undisputed speculation to date – could increase by at least 5-10% of the total annual consumption of drinking water in Luxembourg. A significant quantity whose availability in hot periods and taking into account the reduction of groundwater reserves has not been demonstrated. In addition, the discharge of waste water to surface water, under ecologically verifiable conditions, on this site in any documented manner shall be considered.
Google is expected to provide all its data on water consumption in its 2023 environmental report. The group already indicates that “water-cooled data centers use about 10% less energy and therefore emit about 10% fewer emissions carbon compared to many air-cooled data centers” and also uses non-recycled water to use and process it at the same time.
Meanwhile, the Belgian municipality of Farciennes has just announced that it has issued a new building permit for Google’s sixth data center in Belgium. For a commissioning in 2025, while that of Bissen should have been commissioned this year.
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