Starmer's data centre blitz raises water shortage fears
Sir Keir Starmer's plans to push through dozens of data centres across Britain has raised fears of water shortages.
The Prime Minister has vowed to designate data centres critical national infrastructure to speed up their construction, allowing Britain to harness the growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.
However, campaigners said the amount of water needed to cool the computer banks would stress the country's already stretched supplies.
Feargal Sharkey, The Undertones singer who campaigns to protect Britain's waterways, said: 'Where the hell someone thinks they're getting all that water for data centres from, Lord only knows.
'London and the South East are particularly vulnerable, with estimates suggesting that north London and Hertfordshire could effectively run out of water by 2035.
'Unless someone invents a magic water well, how they're going to feed data centres in East Anglia is beyond fantasy.'
The Government's Environment Agency has predicted that England faces a shortfall of around 5bn litres of water per day by 2050.
The warning came as property group Cushman & Wakefield said plans were underway to double Britain's data centre capacity in the coming years.
Data centres across the country drew 1,442 megawatts (MW) of power at the end of 2024. However, that demand is set to rise to 3,637MW thanks to the number of projects under construction and in planning stages, Cushman & Wakefield said.
Given that newer, larger data centres require around 100 MW of electricity, it means almost two dozen new data centres are expected to spring up around the country in the coming years. Most are expected to be in the South of England where demand is highest.
Water is crucial to cooling data centres to prevent them overheating. A 100MW data centre can use anywhere between 50m and 150m litres of water annually on average, depending on the type of cooling system it uses and the climate.
Alan James, who works with the Campaign to Protect Rural England in Cambridgeshire, said the 'obsession' with large data centres was 'very concerning', given that an 'excessive amount of cooling water is required because so much equipment is clustered in one place'.
Speculation is mounting that areas in Cambridge are being earmarked by data centre developers, despite the area battling water scarcity issues.
Mr James, who has worked in the IT industry for 40 years, said: 'We have a huge water shortage in this area. Planning permissions are being given despite the Environment Agency's objections to housing, for which there is no water, unless there is delivery of projects such as the Fens reservoir, which [we oppose].'
Data centres underpin the Prime Minister's growth ambitions. Last month, Sir Keir set out plans for so-called 'AI Growth Zones', intended to speeding up planning approvals for data centre projects. The South East is expected to host the first, in Culham, Oxfordshire – seven miles from a proposed reservoir in Abingdon.
A government spokesman said: 'We recognise that data centres face sustainability challenges such as energy demands and water use – that's why AI Growth Zones are designed to attract investment in areas where existing energy and water infrastructure is already in place.
'Many newer data centres are already addressing these issues, using advanced cooling systems that significantly reduce water consumption. We're also unlocking £104bn in water infrastructure over the next five years, which includes supporting water supply resilience in and around data centres.'
Separately, a report has warned that Britain's high energy prices threaten to undermine the UK's data centre ambitions.
The Social Market Foundation, a think tank, found that powering a 100 MW data centre was four times more expensive in the UK than in the US. Slow grid connections also threaten to scupper new projects before they get online.
The report estimated it would cost £226m per year to power such a data centre, which would be larger than the UK's current biggest. In the US, running the same data centre would cost around £57m per year.
The report, which was partly funded by Amazon and AI companies OpenAI and Anthropic, said the UK needed to commit to building between eight and 12 new nuclear reactors to keep up with AI's hunger for power. Tech giants have struck a succession of nuclear power deals to provide a source of clean energy for their AI plans.
Sam Robinson, of the Social Market Foundation, said: 'Without urgent action to address skyrocketing energy costs and planning delays, the UK risks losing its position as global leader in tech innovation and adoption.'
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