Key facts
- The European Commission's figures show Europe's data centers used 20.7 terawatt-hours of electricity and over 8 million cubic meters of water in 2025.
- Electricity use increased 26% and water use increased 52% from 2024 to 2025.
- A 2024 law reportedly banned the disclosure of individual data center performance indicators due to commercial interests.
- Lighthouse Reports accuses the Commission of breaching the Aarhus Convention by denying public access to environmental data.
- The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee will meet in November to decide on the admissibility of the complaint.
The European Union is facing accusations of deliberately obscuring the environmental impact of its data centers. A formal complaint, filed by the non-profit Lighthouse Reports, alleges that the European Commission is violating the Aarhus Convention by preventing public access to crucial data on energy and water consumption by individual data centers. This move comes as concerns mount over the significant power demands of AI-driven data centers and rising energy prices across Europe.
Lighthouse Reports claims the Commission has created a "wall of silence" by enacting rules that protect commercially sensitive information, thereby denying the public its right to know about the environmental performance of these facilities. The complaint, lodged under the legally binding Aarhus Convention, will be reviewed by the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee in November.
According to the Commission's own figures, Europe's data centers consumed 20.7 terawatt-hours of electricity and over 8 million cubic meters of water in 2025. This represents a substantial increase from the previous year, with electricity use up 26% and water use up 52%. However, the complaint argues that these aggregate figures are based on incomplete data and do not provide the necessary detail to assess the true environmental footprint of the sector.
Despite the growing opposition to power-hungry data centers, the EU has set a target to triple data-center capacity in the coming years. While the Commission recently introduced a new transparency label for data centers, Lighthouse Reports contends that this initiative falls short of providing adequate information on total consumption and other key metrics needed to properly evaluate their carbon footprints. A member of the European Parliament, Diego Solier, acknowledged the need for transparency but stressed that it must be proportionate and not compromise genuinely commercially sensitive information.