No separate environmental clearance framework for AI data centres: Union govt

Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.The Union government has indicated that it does not plan to introduce a separate environmental clearance framework for AI data centres, according to a reply in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, August 6.Minister of State for the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Kirti Vardhan Singh, was responding to questions from Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty, who asked whether the Ministry had assessed the environmental impact of the high freshwater consumption by AI data centres in water-stressed regions.She also asked whether standalone environmental clearance parameters under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framework would be introduced for data centres, including mechanisms to track water-use efficiency.The MP further asked whether the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was considering issuing specific guidelines on closed-loop recycling or the use of treated greywater for cooling in AI data centres.Her fourth and final question was whether an inter-ministerial mechanism exists between the MoEFCC, the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to align data centre parks with local groundwater limits.In response, MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh said AI data centres do not require environmental clearance (EC) under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006.However, they can fall under Category B2, Schedule 8(a), as building and construction projects with a built-up area of less than 1.5 lakh square metres, and under Schedule 8(b) if the built-up area is larger. In the latter case, they would require prior EC, granted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) at the state or Union Territory level, the MoS said.Environmentalists have criticised this mechanism as inadequate, arguing that the categorisation does not account for the potentially significant environmental impact of data centres, unlike other types of construction projects.In Visakhapatnam, for instance, Google and Adani are developing a massive project spread across three data centre parks. While the Andhra Pradesh SEIAA has granted environmental clearance for the projects, activists have expressed concern that a project of unprecedented scale was granted clearance without a rigorous and transparent appraisal of its “water use, air pollution, ecological impact, hazard risks and climate implications.”Responding to questions about water use, the MoS said that the EC process for data centres categorised as construction projects considers the “availability of freshwater particularly in water-stressed regions, water balance report, generation of greywater, recycling and reuse of greywater” and that appropriate environmental safeguards are prescribed.He added that the use and discharge of water and greywater during the construction and operation of AI data centres is regulated under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) is responsible for ensuring compliance with these laws and prescribing standards for water use and wastewater discharge, he said.The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), in its District Cooling Guidelines, 2023, has recommended the use of treated water for cooling purposes wherever feasible, the MoS noted.The guidelines also emphasise the adoption of energy-efficient cooling technologies, he said.“These measures are particularly relevant for large cooling-intensive facilities, including data centres,” he added.He further said that a ‘Resilience, Innovation & Efficiency’ Working Group of the India AI Impact Summit has been set up by MeitY to examine energy efficiency, water management and environmental resilience in digital and AI infrastructure.