Data Centres: Water Resources Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Lord Wigley
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Data Centres: Water Resources
Lord Wigley Excerpts(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)
We will hear from the noble Lord, Lord Wigley, next. He has been trying to get in.
Lord Wigley (PC)
If I understand correctly, the Government are looking at the possibility of recirculating some of the coolant water. If that is the case, is there a possibility of using it for district heating purposes? Can the Minister give an assurance that any heat dissipated will be allowed only if it does not adversely affect the biodiversity of that vicinity?
Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)
The noble Lord makes some good points about that kind of system which would clearly need to be taken into consideration. At the moment, as far as I am aware, no final decision has been made around that, but we are working with the water companies and the data centres to look at how we can get the most effective use of systems, whether that is through air cooling or through water cooling, and if it is water cooling, whether we can use rainwater systems, for example, to increase efficiencies.