Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) has floated the idea of higher water prices for data center operators. “Periods of water scarcity are becoming more frequent in Germany, too. This gives rise to new questions regarding allocation, for which we must find fair answers,” Schneider said in Berlin. “When water is scarce, citizens’ basic needs should not have to compete with major consumers like data centers.”
Image: HALIL SAGIRKAYA / Anadolu via AFP
“In that case, data center operators—who often generate very high profits—will simply have to pay more for water or for water-saving technology,” Schneider continued. He was speaking at the “Future of Water” forum at the Federal Environment Ministry alongside EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall. Schneider added that this was the only way to ensure public acceptance for the establishment of data centers in local communities.
“If major consumers were required to contribute to the costs systematically on a nationwide basis, it would create incentives to use water more sparingly and to invest in the relevant technologies—areas where we in Germany are global market leaders,” the Environment Minister emphasized. “Ultimately, a fair and well-managed system will relieve the burden on the general public.” He intends to “engage in discussions” with the federal states and the affected sectors regarding this matter in the coming weeks.
The environmental organization Greenpeace considers this insufficient. Greenpeace digital expert Linda Klapdor urged data center operators to “disclose—as early as the planning stage—how they intend to cool their facilities in the future. Such projects must not go ahead until convincing water supply plans are in place.”
Schneider and Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) must “prevent the construction of mega-data centers—with their massive water consumption—in areas like Brandenburg or the Rhine-Main region that are already suffering from drought,” Klapdor stated. “The hot summer we have just experienced—and which is only now subsiding—demonstrates that water is a precious resource. Many regions simply cannot afford to use it on such a large scale to cool data centers.”
Author: AFP – oer/ilo – Translated by Blackout News
Sources: AFP Press Portal