Belgium: Walloon minister blocks Google’s use of river water for data centre

Walloon Minister François Desquesnes has rejected Google’s plan to use water from the Sambre River to cool a data centre in Farciennes. Google wanted to replace the originally approved air-cooling system with river-water cooling, extracting 600 cubic metres per hour, most of which would evaporate. Although the modification was initially approved, Desquesnes refused the permit following a citizen’s appeal, RTBF and Le Soir reported on 14 August.

According to Desquesnes the decision was based on the precautionary principle, prompted by the severe drought currently affecting Wallonia. The region is experiencing such acute water shortages that residents of fifteen municipalities are prohibited from filling swimming pools or watering their gardens. The Minister noted that the ecological situation has changed, pointing to the need to release enormous quantities of water from the Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure simply to maintain water levels in local rivers and canals. He therefore argued that the consequences of climate change require a stricter approach to water use, according to the Belgian French-language daily newspaper Le Soir.

Preserve water resources

“This proposed cooling system involves pumping water from the Sambre River. The current situation demonstrates that climate change is at work and that we must therefore preserve water resources. The cubic metres the company plans to pump from the Sambre seem significantly large to me. I cannot accept that they change their cooling method”, Desquesnes said in an interview with Belgium’s French-language public broadcaster RTBF. According to Le Soir, the first data centre, which is almost completed, will retain its air-cooling system. Google says it is studying the minister’s decision. The US technology company can appeal the decision before Belgium’s Council of State.

Data centres are major water consumers

The International Energy Agency (IEA) concluded after an investigation that global water consumption associated with data centres was estimated at 560 billion litres in 2023. IEA said this could rise to around 1,200 billion litres per year by 2030. In April 2026, the European Alliance to Save Energy and Water Europe called on the European Parliament and EU Member States in a joint declaration to unlock the potential of the water-energy nexus in the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). Reducing water consumption in data centres is considered necessary to improve their sustainability.