Texas knowledge facilities and crypto-mining operations quickly will probably be required to report their water utilization to adjust to new steering from state regulators, Austin TV station KXAN studies.
At a Feb. 6 assembly, the Public Utility Fee of Texas (PUC) agreed to ship out a survey to such amenities someday within the spring to find out how a lot water they’re utilizing, the place they’re getting it and what they’re doing with it.
Cryptocurrency amenities and knowledge facilities will then have six weeks to reply, KXAN studies. PUC officers say the company is working with the Texas Water Growth Board on questions to incorporate within the survey to collect data on complete water utilization, tower cooling strategies and energy sources. The survey would require reporting on a slim time-frame to get an concept of year-round use.
This directive was written into the state funds final 12 months by State Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, who known as the survey a “softer method” than passing direct laws demanding the data, in line with KXAN.
“These are new entities which are coming to the state of Texas. We wish these jobs. We want these jobs,” Walle instructed the station. “Nonetheless, we additionally need to be superb stewards of our water assets.”
Dan Diorio, vp for trade lobbying group Knowledge Middle Coalition, despatched out an announcement Wednesday, KXAN studies, stating that knowledge facilities “used considerably much less water than different important industries in 2025, together with the agriculture, energy, meals and beverage, and semiconductor sectors.”
“The information middle trade continues to put money into water administration and deploy water effectivity practices by air-cooled methods, closed-loop water recycling, and dry cooling applied sciences,” Diorio mentioned. “DCC member corporations are additionally piloting superior options, together with AI-driven cooling optimization and on-site water recycling methods, to additional cut back consumption and maximize water effectivity.”
Margaret Prepare dinner, vp of water and neighborhood resilience on the Houston Superior Analysis Middle (HARC), launched a white paper stating that Texas knowledge facilities used an estimated 25 billion gallons of water final 12 months.
Prepare dinner instructed KXAN the PUC survey is a step in the suitable route, although she hopes future surveys will embody projections on the numerous knowledge facilities nonetheless in planning and underneath building as Texas experiences the biggest progress within the nation. Solely Virginia has extra knowledge facilities than the Lone Star State.
“I believe that survey is nice. I believe it’s very wanted. I believe we would have liked it a very long time in the past, nevertheless it’s good that we’re doing it now,” Prepare dinner added. “If now we have the participation that we’d like from knowledge facilities, to reply that survey, to supply the data, then we’ll be capable of make significantly better choices.”
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