💧UK Designates Datacenters as Critical National Infrastructure
Datacenters get special water and energy access
TL;DR
The UK government has designated datacenters as critical infrastructure, giving them priority access to water and energy. The Green Party argues this prioritization is unfair when millions face drought restrictions.
The UK government has designated datacenters as critical national infrastructure (CNI), putting them on par with essential services like water and power. This designation means datacenters are eligible for special protection and may be prioritized for access to water and energy, even as millions face drought restrictions. The move aims to ensure that critical services remain operational, but it's drawing criticism from the Green Party, which wants stricter environmental standards and community consultation before granting planning permission for new datacenters. A single large-scale datacenter can use around 1.5 million liters of water per day, and projected rapid growth is concentrated in already water-stressed areas like London and the South East.
Key Points
The UK government designated datacenters as critical national infrastructure in 2024, prioritizing them for water and energy access.
Over 27 million people in England are currently experiencing drought restrictions, while datacenters get special access.
The Green Party wants new datacenters to meet the highest environmental standards before getting planning permission.
A single large-scale datacenter can use around 1.5 million liters of water per day, stressing already water-stressed areas.
Datacenter construction is projected to expand rapidly, with growth concentrated in areas like London and the South East.
Why It Matters
If you're planning to build a new datacenter, you need to meet stringent environmental standards and engage in full community consultation. The government's move prioritizes access to water and energy for datacenters, even as millions face drought restrictions. This could impact your project timeline and budget, especially if you're in a water-stressed area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this matter?
If you're planning to build a new datacenter, you need to meet stringent environmental standards and engage in full community consultation. The government's move prioritizes access to water and energy for datacenters, even as millions face drought restrictions. This could impact your project timeline and budget, especially if you're in a water-stressed area.
What happened?
The UK government has designated datacenters as critical infrastructure, giving them priority access to water and energy. The Green Party argues this prioritization is unfair when millions face drought restrictions.
Comments
Be the first to comment
Enjoyed this article?
Get it daily. 7am. Free. Reads in 5 minutes.
Join 3,382 builders reading daily.