Complaint accuses EU of hiding data centres' energy and water use

Dutch non-profit newsroom Lighthouse Reports filed a complaint under the Aarhus Convention, saying the European Commission keeps the public from seeing how much power and water individual data centres use. In 2025, Europe's data centres consumed 20.7 TWh of electricity and more than 8 million cubic metres of water.

• Europe's data centres used 20.7 TWh in 2025, as much as Croatia
• Water consumption topped 8 million cubic metres
• Power use rose 26% and water use 52% in 2024
• A 2024 law bars disclosure of data on individual sites