Google to use electric cooling instead of water in at least 1 of 3 data centers on Botetourt campus

Google has announced that the first of three planned buildings on its data center campus in Botetourt County, Virginia, will implement air-cooling technology, moving away from water-based cooling. This decision, conveyed via the county's website, is attributed to "business demand and infrastructure requirements" and comes amid ongoing drought conditions in Southwest Virginia and active public protests against data center construction.

However, the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance, an opposition group, expressed skepticism, suggesting that Google is "bowing to public pressure" while highlighting that the current performance agreement with the Western Virginia Water Authority still permits Google to use up to 8 million gallons of water per day at full build-out. Alliance co-founder Julie Bivins stated that until this contract is changed, the announcement may not significantly alter the long-term water usage implications.

Western Virginia Water Authority Executive Director Michael McEvoy had previously indicated an expected annual average use of 1.2 million gallons per day for the initial phase, though the official agreement allows for up to 2 million gallons per day initially and 8 million with potential expansions. Water authority spokesperson Sarah Baumgardner confirmed that despite Google's announcement, the existing agreement stands, and no updated figures on water consumption have been provided.

Google stated its continued commitment to minimizing water usage and maintaining high sustainability levels, while the cooling technology for the other two planned buildings remains under evaluation. The 312-acre campus at Greenfield Industrial Park is also set to include substations, an office building, and various infrastructure elements.