Environmental Activism Versus Data Centre Expansion in Virginia

As Northern Virginia grapples with the rapid growth of data centres, activists like Julie Bolthouse from the Piedmont Environmental Council raise alarms over their environmental and infrastructural implications. Amidst rising demand driven by AI advancements, concerns about electricity usage, water scarcity, and air quality are prompting a broader conversation about sustainability in tech.

The surge in data centres in Northern Virginia has sparked environmental opposition, spearheaded by activists like Julie Bolthouse. As a director at the Piedmont Environmental Council, Bolthouse has pointed out the alarming reality that the northern region of Virginia is home to the world’s largest concentration of data centres, declaring, “We’re the Wall Street of the data centre industry.”

These data centres function as extensive warehouses filled with computers that manage and store vast amounts of data for numerous entities, including corporations and governments. Since the 1990s, Northern Virginia has become a data centre hotspot due to its advantageous location near Washington DC, coupled with historically lower costs for land and electricity.

Centered in Ashburn, roughly 35 miles west of Washington, there are over 477 data centres in Virginia, a figure far surpassing Texas and California, which host 290 and 283 centres respectively. Studies suggest that about 70% of the globe's internet traffic flows through the Ashburn region, which has earned the title “Data Centre Alley.”

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), demand for data centres is skyrocketing, with predictions that global capacity might double in the next five years, according to Moody’s. However, Bolthouse and fellow environmentalists express their discontent with ongoing expansions, citing detrimental effects on local quality of life. They report concerns about new electricity lines cutting across conserved lands and residential areas, alongside increased water consumption and air pollutants from diesel generators.

Moreover, they highlight that local communities in Virginia and Maryland are expected to bear the financial burdens of necessary upgrades to the electricity grid instigated by the burgeoning data centre industry. In response, Bolthouse and her team are actively opposing each new application for data centre construction and are striving to inform local government representatives about the issues at hand.

This resistance to data centre expansions is finding a voice globally, with similar movements emerging in other countries like Ireland, where data centres account for 21% of energy usage. Activists such as Tony Lowes from Friends of the Irish Environment voice concerns that data centres relying on fossil fuels could jeopardize renewable energy commitments and even strain national electricity grids.

Pressured by public outcry, major players in the data centre landscape are making commitments to sustainability. For example, Microsoft has instituted a Data Center Community Pledge, aiming to use 100% renewable energy by next year and become “water positive” by 2030. Similarly, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has already begun using recycled water in several data centres, planning to achieve water positivity as well.

Josh Levi, president of the Data Center Coalition, underscores the industry’s significant investments in renewable energy, noting that leading tech companies have become substantial players in the corporate renewable marketplace. Despite these advancements, Bolthouse argues that more needs to be done to ensure the growth of data centres is sustainable, emphasizing the broader implications of energy and water scarcity for the industry itself.

The reach of resistance against data centres has also been felt in South America, where environmental activists successfully influenced Google to change cooling methods for a facility under construction in Uruguay, shifting from water cooling to air cooling in response to criticism amid a severe water crisis.

Back in Virginia, Bolthouse remains hopeful for progress but acknowledges the road ahead is long, emphasizing that the tech industry must recognize the importance of sustainability in their operational models. “If we continue with business as usual,” she warns, “both electrical prices and water scarcity will affect everyone - including the data centre industry."