New London data centers approved and some are requesting 3 million liters of water per day and enough electricity to power thousands of homes

Date:
Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:13:46 +0000

Description:
There are big concerns about water and electricity usage across three new London data center sites.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Multiple new data center sites have been approved in London Concerns have been raised about how the sites will access electricity and water Data centers haven't been accounted for in new UK water resource predictions A new data center has been approved by Hounslow Council's Planning Committee that will occupy a 12.2-acre brownfield site in the Haslemere Heathrow Estate.

The Council approved the site in July 2026 despite concerns surrounding the site's demands for water and electricity. The site will have a 80MVA (Megavolt-Amperes) high-capacity power connection that will supply the same amount of power as thousands of homes. While no details have been released about how much water the site will consume, other data centers in London have been requesting three million liters per day. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Multiple data centers approved Ealing Council also recently gave the go-ahead for a 52,000 square meter data center on Bridge Road in Southall, occupying the site of the former Honey Monster Food
Factory. Four additional data centers on the nearby Southall Industrial
Estate were approved in November 2025.

A recent report by the Greater London Authority (GLA) found that as of November 2025 there are 99 data centers operational in London, with a further 26 sites planned or awaiting approval - placing 80% of the UKs data centers within the capital. You may like Industry trade board warns UK government
over data center thirst for resources UK AI data centers could be given water priority during heatwaves and hosepipe bans Many new AI data centers will be built on US drought-hit areas

This is placing enormous pressure on energy providers and water utilities, with the GLA further noting that there is approximately 10 times the current data center electricity capacity waiting for approval in the grid connection queue.

For the Hounslow site, the data center connection will be provided
electricity by the National Energy System Operator via the Laleham Grid
Supply Point. The site will not use electricity capacity already reserved for other developments in the area, such as housing. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

As the UK battles one of the hottest summers on record, large swathes of England have been designated as in drought. Hosepipes and other non-essential water uses have been banned. But data centers have been designated as
critical national infrastructure meaning they are not subject to water restrictions .

Water UK recently warned the government that water resource forecasts excluded the usage of data centers , meaning that plans to treble UK data center capacity by 2030 will need to consider greater investment in water sources.

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