When it comes to the Bissen data centre, it seems to be a never-ending story: how much water and electricity will it consume? Still, Ministers Turmes and Dieschbourg were unable to provide a clear answer to the question, this time posed by ADR deputy Fernand Kartheiser. And since it hadn't yet been confirmed that the global internet group would settle in Luxembourg, these questions would remain unanswerable for the time being.
Fernand Kartheiser wanted to know whether Google would be using a water reserve for cooling purposes on site, as well as how much water they would be taking out of and reintroducing back into the Alzette river.
Because they didn't know whether or not the data centre would be established, Energy Minister Turmes and Environment Minister Dieschbourg couldn't say how exactly the water would be managed.
The water temperature may well rise, however a study would be necessary to determine exactly how much this would be. What they did know was that the river had a maximum temperature of 25°C through the spring and up until November, a temperature which fell to 10°C during the autumn and winter months. Water that was reintroduced back into the river could not be over 3°C, and ministers could put a stop to the site's activities if the water level rose too high.
When it came to the centre's power consumption, neither minister was able to provide a response. They did not know what Google would require or at what temperature the centre would be operated. However, if Google were also to produce renewable energy, this surplus would be fed into the grid.
