techUK Report - Understanding data centre water use in England

18 Aug 2025 12:06 PM

Read our latest report, exploring water use across England’s commercial data centres.

techUK is pleased to announce the release of its latest report into water use across England’s commercial data centres. Our report offers evidence into how data centres use and manage water amid the growing interest of the environmental footprint of digital infrastructure.

Built upon survey data gathered in collaboration with the Environment Agency, this report provides insights from 73 data centre facilities across England, including the steps being taken to ensure sustainable growth as the UK seeks to expand its digital capabilities.

Richard Thompson, Deputy Director for Water Resources at the The Environment Agency, said:

I am encouraged by the work techUK have undertaken to better understand water usage – the findings suggest UK data centres are utilising a range of cooling technologies and becoming more water conscious. Advancements in technology must go hand-in-hand with protecting public water supplies, food security and the environment. It is vital the sector puts sustainability at its heart, and minimises water use in line with evolving standards. We are working with industry and other regulators to raise these to secure the best outcomes for our environment and our water supply for future generations.

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Key Findings 

• 51% of surveyed sites use waterless cooling systems. 
• 64% use less than 10,000 m³ of water per year – less than a typical leisure centre. 
• 89% of sites either measure water use or deploy systems that do not require water for cooling. 
• 4% of sites report using over 100,000 m³ annually. 

These findings challenge assumptions that data centres are inherently water-intensive. Instead, many facilities are already deploying efficient and climate-conscious solutions, and the industry is well-positioned to build on these efficiency gains in the coming years.

Why This Matters 

Data centres are essential to the UK's digital economy and AI ambitions, powering everything from financial transactions and emergency response to cloud services and advanced computing. With Government targeting a 20-fold increase in sovereign compute capacity by 2030, it's critical to make sure growth happens in a sustainable manner. 

We hope this report contributes to a more data-driven conversation in England and the UK, helping policymakers, regulators and the public understand how digital infrastructure intersects with broader water and climate goals to ensure future decisions are well-evidenced.  

techUK Recommendations 

techUK recommends the following to both Government and operators to allow for responsible sector growth while supporting evidence-based policymaking. 

For Government 

• Government should deliver on its commitment to fast-track the construction of new reservoirs, as no new major reservoirs have been built for over 30 years. 
• The Environment Agency should provide, maintain and publish a Water Exploitation Index (or similar equivalent) for each major river basin, data that is essential for all commercial users, developers and water companies.
• Government must deliver on the ambition of the Independent Water Commission Final Report and commit to fundamental reform of the UK’s water sector.  

For Industry 

• Data centre operators and firms with on-premise and enterprise data centres should commit to measuring water use and reporting WUE.  
• techUK all data centre operators to become members of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact to work toward strong sustainability commitments.  

For Both 

• Begin to develop standardised AI chip cooling requirements to reduce energy and water demands at scale.
• Establish a public-private partnership to coordinate infrastructure upgrades and investment. 
• Ensure early coordination between developers, water companies, and local authorities, just as is done for electricity. 

techUK looks forward to working with the Government to deliver on economic growth.

We thank techUK members, particularly Ark Data Centres, Pure Data Centres Group, and NTT DATA, for assisting in the drafting of the report and for contributing case studies. We would also like to thank the techUK Data Centre Council – comprised of twenty senior business leaders representing the full spectrum of interests of the sector and wider industry, for their assistance. 

Data Centres Programme activities

techUK provides a collective voice for UK Data Centre operators working with government to improve the business environment for our members. We keep members up to date with the key technical and regulatory developments that may impact growth and on funding opportunities that may increase commercial competitiveness. Visit the programme page here.