Sydney's planned data centres would drain enormous amounts of water
A planned data centre corridor in Lane Cove would use 15,000ML of water annually, far more than the surrounding homes combined.
Community group Voices of Bennelong is fighting two large data centres planned for northern Sydney. The Lane Cove and Ryde corridor would use about 15,000 megilitres of water each year.
Such consumption far exceeds the water use of the residential neighbourhoods surrounding it. The group wants a National Data Centre Framework to assess location, environmental, fire and community impacts before approval.
The City of Sydney also urged lawmakers to direct new AI developments away from crowded urban areas. University of NSW AI expert Toby Walsh suggested that old coal power stations could host data centres and link to cities using fibre optic cables, avoiding pressure on Sydney's water and land.
- 15,000ML
- Annual water demand
- Lane Cove and Ryde
- Location
- Voices of Bennelong
- Advocacy group
- Toby Walsh, UNSW AI Institute
- Expert proposing alternative
Why it mattersAustralia's water is already under pressure from climate change; massive new industrial users in cities could leave less for homes and farms.
AustraliaSydney residents face years of water stress and congestion if data centres cluster in their suburbs without proper planning rules.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 d ago
