PA Environment Digest Blog: Senate Hearing: Susquehanna River Basin Commission - A.I. Data Centers Have A Dramatic Demand For Water, And The Potential To Be Among The Largest Water Consumers In The Basin

In testimony before the Senate Republican Policy Committee on August 11, Andrew Dehoff, P.E. Executive Director of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, said hyperscale data centers have the potential to be among the largest consumers of water in the basin, on par with power plants, which are by far the largest consumptive water users.

“With Pennsylvania poised to become a hub for data centers, there are many things to consider. In most media coverage of the potential development, power demands and the possible impact to grid reliability and consumer prices gain the most attention,” said Dehoff.

“But one of the most critical aspects of data center development, the dramatic demand for water, is often left out of the conversation despite water being our most basic human need.”

Where Will The Water Come From?

“As you've heard, the high-speed computing that is performed at hyperscale data centers generates a lot of heat that must be dissipated to avoid harm to the processors.

“Traditionally, water-based cooling methods have provided a convenient and cost-effective way to achieve the needed cooling by transferring the excess heat to water and evaporating it.

“I have to say, I was glad to hear the previous panel talk about water, and some of the water saving technologies that they're employing and looking at.”

1 Million Gallons A Day

“As you've heard, a single hyperscale campus can evaporate millions of gallons of water every day, potentially putting a strain on local water resources.

“At that level of water demand, hyperscale centers have the potential to be among the largest consumers of water in the basin, and I imagine in Pennsylvania.

“I mentioned millions of gallons a day. That's on par with power plants, which are by far our largest consumer of water.

“They also generate a lot of heat in their operations and need to dissipate that heat. They traditionally do it through evaporating water.”

“To put that millions of gallons a day into perspective, other significant water users, such as public drinking water systems, industrial facilities, irrigation for golf and agriculture, rarely consume anywhere near 1 million gallons alone.”

Developing New Water Sources

“Using traditional evaporative cooling methods, it is unlikely that a hyperscale data center will be able to obtain enough water from the local public water supplier.

“So if the data center is proposing to supply its own water from groundwater wells or a nearby stream or river, careful review will be necessary to ensure that the volume of water needed can be safely supported by the source without depleting it, without denying water to existing users, and without harming aquatic habitat and wildlife that rely on the water.

“But again, developing new water sources can take some time – for permitting, to build infrastructure such as pipelines and large pumps, to secure the power needed to run the pumps – so these centers run the real risk of wanting to be up and running before the water supply is in place.

“That’s why it is critical that we have discussions about water now, before companies finalize site selection and begin design and construction of hyperscale data centers.”

A Double Hit

“Complicating this water demand picture, as you've heard, along with data center development, there are proposals to build entirely new power plants solely to provide the power that these may need.

“Like I said, that's good for the grid, but these power plants also consume massive amounts of water.

“That's traditionally or potentially a double hit that our water resources can take to supply both the data center cooling and power plant cooling.”

Encouraging Water Use Efficiency, Dry Cooling

“We recognize the need to balance strong economic growth with everyday human needs and a healthy environment, and when a new industry with high water demand comes along, we figure it out, like we did with water needs for fracking in the Marcellus Shale.

“Part of striking that balance is looking for ways to conserve, reduce and mitigate water use.

“We saw such an opportunity in 2015, when 93 million gallons per day of all reported consumptive water use in the basin was attributed to existing power generation and new gas-fired power plants were being proposed left and right, each with 6-10 million gallons of additional demand.

“In response, our commissioners adopted a resolution that encouraged and offered incentives to use dry cooling technology for new power generation.

“Dry cooling uses ambient air to cool and condense steam, drastically lowering the amount of water consumed.

“Although at first resistant to the additional up-front costs and the threat of loss of efficiency in power generation, each of the four new plants that were constructed employed dry cooling, with impressive results.

“Through 2024, more than 45 billion gallons of water use has been avoided by the four plants. That’s as much as a 98% reduction of demand.

“Now, witnessing another large water user enter the scene, our commissioners expanded that resolution to encourage data centers and other emerging facilities to consider the use of dry, hybrid, or other watersaving technologies for cooling purposes.

“And, along with the 10-year track record of the power plants and the commitment to sustainable development by the A.I. companies, we’re expecting to see similar success in reducing water demands while still fostering development.

One Data Center So Far

“Today, SRBC has permitted only one data center water use, despite what we hear in the news, so it is still early, and I'm sure we will continue to learn.”

Adding Water To The Conversation Early

“I'm sure things will continue to evolve as the industry matures, as we've heard about some of the developing technologies, but it's critical that we start adding water to the conversation early in the process of site selection and design.

“The Department Environmental Protection's permit application consultation tool has proven effective at pulling together all agencies with a role in hyperscale data center development and identifying potential challenges early on.

“I aim to ensure that SRBC continues to be included in those group coordination meetings.

As part of that conversation, I think we need to be proactive with the leaders in the industry, and make sure they're moving forward in accordance with some of the statements we've heard here today about developing in environmentally sustainable fashions.

“That needs to become the standard, not the exception.

“In closing, agencies like SRBC exist so that all users of the basin's water resources have reliable, conflict-free, and sustainable water supply for current and future generations.

“I believe the necessary technology exists to incorporate hyperscale data centers into the mix, but we all need to be talking and pulling in the same direction now, before we get too far down the road.

“Thank you again for the opportunity to share some information.

Click Here for a copy of SRBC’s written testimony. Dehoff appears at about the 1:17 mark in the video.

Click Here for a video of the August 11 hearing and other testimony.

(Photo: Talen Energy Susquehanna Steam Electric Station and data center, Luzerne County.)

Resource Links - Using Mine Water For Data Center Cooling:

-- Berkeley Lab: Repurposing Coal Assets For A Decarbonized Digital Economy

-- DataCenterDynamics.com: Virginia Project Gets $3 Million To Cool Data Centers With Mine Water

-- West Virginia University: Geothermal Energy On Abandoned Mine Lands

-- Wise County, Virginia: Geothermal Cooling & Site Availability

-- Invest In SW Virginia: Project Oasis - Geothermal Cooling From Underground Mines

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 9 to 15 - Illegal Disposal Of 66,780 Gallons Of Conventional Wastewater; 4 Impoundments Not Restored; 3 Conventional Wells Mined Through [PaEN]