Data centres will not touch Visakhapatnam’s drinking water, Lokesh tells Andhra Assembly

Visakhapatnam's Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh declared during a recent session of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly that data centers will not draw water from the city's taps. He addressed concerns about the environmental impact of these facilities, which have gained attention following Google's investment in the city. Lokesh emphasized that data centers are vital for the AI-driven digital economy and India's data sovereignty, particularly in light of geopolitical challenges.

The IT Minister explained that data centers require about 3 tmc ft (thousand million cubic feet) of water annually to operate at a capacity of 6.5 GW. This water would be sourced from the industrial allocation of Polavaram, ensuring that it does not interfere with the city's residents' water supply. The government aims to provide Visakhapatnam's water needs from Polavaram through gravity-fed pipelines within 18 months, with separate pipelines dedicated to the data centers.

Lokesh highlighted that a 1 GW thermal power plant consumes roughly 10 times more water annually than a data center, questioning why protests over water usage are primarily directed at data centers. He revealed that the Chief Minister had set a ceiling of 6.5 GW for data-center allocations, which has now been fully achieved. The government will prioritize companies demonstrating strong environmental responsibility, he stated.

The dispute centers around the Google Cloud AI hub at Tarluvada, an 1 GW hyperscale center set to be constructed on 601.4 acres at an investment of ₹1.35 lakh crore. The project, developed by Google's subsidiary Raiden Infotech in collaboration with Adani Infra, is part of Google's $15 billion commitment to the state. The IT Minister assured that the government plans to establish a 6.5 GW digital hub across Andhra Pradesh in the longer term, with the Visakhapatnam project slated for inauguration on September 28, 2028.