Amazon says water consumption at its data centers “will not be a problem”

Amazon Web Services (AWS) said on Thursday after its meeting in Zaragoza with social agents in the area that the water consumption required to cool the servers in its data centers when they are at full capacity will be close to 800,000 cubic meters per year, an amount comparable to 0.9% of the flow of the Ebro River as it passes through Zaragoza in a single day.

AWS’s public policy manager, David Blázquez, has assured that these figures provide ” reassurance ” to both the unions and the business organisation, as well as to the project itself. He himself has explained that they are convinced that this quota “is not a problem” , also explaining that it is equivalent to some 150 or 170 hectares of irrigated land (in Aragon there is a total of up to 400,000). 

This is a response to, among other issues, the three allegations presented in recent weeks to the PIGA on which the expansion of the Amazon Web Services settlement that began in Aragon more than two years ago through several centers is based. The North American company responds with “interest and dialogue” to the allegations against its development. “It is essential to listen to what they tell us to better understand and land the project in the most sustainable and committed way with the territory. It allows us to learn,” said the company’s public policy manager.

ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY

As for sustainability in energy terms, for which strengthening the electrical transmission and distribution networks is essential , the spokesperson for the multinational has recalled that it is “in the process”, like many other companies, of requesting the necessary electrical connections to be able to operate from Aragon. It depends on the criteria of the Ministry that must award the planning of the Electrical Network 2025-2030, in the process of review by MITECO. 

“We are working on the maturity of the project so that it becomes a reality. We are clear that we are doing our homework and that we have been working for a long time so that when the Ministry decides, our project will be very well positioned,” Blázquez clarified. 

It should be noted, in this case, that the Government of Aragon already assumed that the generation capacity would have to triple by the end of 2024 , since by then the demand would already be around 7.4 gigawatts (about 74,000 megawatts). Despite everything, the development of this megaproject is not in danger. 

CONSTRUCTION AND DIRECT JOBS

The technology giant has also specified that around fifty Aragonese SMEs are already working on the expansion of the AWS complexes in Aragon (Villanueva de Gállego, El Burgo de Ebro, Huesca and Zaragoza). They have expressed particular hope regarding the job creation that this project will bring about, although they have not considered providing more specific figures than those already known.