Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed AI-capable data centres in Essex on local water resources.

The Government recognises that, while data centre water use is likely to remain a small component of national water demand (less than 1%), local impacts may be significant, particularly during periods of peak demand. Defra’s Water Delivery Taskforce is bringing together government, regulators and the water industry to improve the evidence based on data centre water use.

Water companies are not required to supply water for data centre cooling and may refuse a connection where sufficient resources are unavailable. The Government expects developers to work closely with water companies to secure sustainable supplies and explore alternative water sources where possible.