Data centre protests test Europe’s digital expansion
Local opposition is growing as new projects raise questions about electricity and water use. The European Commission has announced efficiency grades for larger facilities.
Plans for data centres supporting artificial intelligence are facing protests and planning disputes across Europe, as communities question the electricity and water needed to operate them. Operators argue the facilities can strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty and energy independence.
The European Commission has announced a transparency scheme for centres with capacity above 500 kilowatts. They will receive efficiency grades that account for energy and water use and contributions such as reusing waste heat. The scheme’s implementation and effects remain unclear.
The disputes have had different outcomes. Protesters opposed Google’s advanced plans near Kronstorf, Austria; planning permission for a proposed centre in Killala, Ireland, was overturned after a campaign led by author Sally Rooney; and elected officials in Etrechet, France, resigned over a Google project.
Electricity demand is also a concern. Finland’s grid operator Fingrid forecast consumption could rise by almost 40 per cent if all projects with signed connection agreements proceed in full. The figure is conditional, not observed growth. A German ministry estimate cited by Deutsche Welle puts cooling water use at 0.4 to 4.4 litres per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed.
Operators point to possible ways to reduce pressure on resources, including feeding server waste heat into district heating networks and connecting backup batteries to local grids. A centre under construction in Marseille is reported to use a cooling system requiring 30 per cent less power and no water; the figures have not been independently verified in the source material.
