MOZOM-analyse

Data centers guzzle power and water: cloud convenience or hidden utility?

NRC, IEA, CBS, AP, UNU-INWEH, Microsoft en Google-context Technology 14 juli 2026 om 08:52

Type: Analyse Author: the MOZOM.nl editorial team Published: 14 juli 2026 om 08:52 Report a correction

Realistic editorial photo of a large data center with power poles, transformers, cooling installations and water pipes as an image of power and water consumption of digital infrastructure.

Source: NRC, IEA, CBS, AP, UNU-INWEH, Microsoft en Google-context
MOZOM headline: Data centers guzzle power and water: cloud convenience or hidden utility?
Original headline: Data center Microsoft uses 1 percent of all Dutch electricity, Google does not want to provide insight into consumption
Author: the MOZOM.nl editorial team
Date: 14 juli 2026 om 08:52
Subject: MOZOM investigates why data centers are no longer just digital infrastructure, but increasingly compete for power, water, grid capacity and public transparency.

Summary of the original report

Globally, the International Energy Agency estimates that data centers used approximately 415 terawatt hours of electricity in 2024, approximately 1.5 percent of global power consumption. According to the IEA, this could increase to 945 terawatt hours by 2030, mainly due to AI and accelerated calculations. Converted, 415 TWh is an average continuous power of approximately 47 gigawatts; 945 TWh is approximately 108 gigawatts continuously. The Netherlands shows how local this global trend can become. CBS calculated that Dutch data centers used 5.1 billion kilowatt hours in 2024, 4.6 percent of national electricity consumption. NRC puts a specific company next to this: Microsoft in Middenmeer alone would demand approximately 1 percent of all Dutch electricity.

Own source research

MOZOM has compared the Dutch motivation with global energy and water figures. Proven: the IEA estimates global data center consumption at approximately 415 TWh in 2024 and foresees approximately 945 TWh in 2030 in its base scenario. Proven: 415 TWh per year equates to approximately 47 GW of continuous power; 945 TWh on approximately 108 GW continuous power. Proven: CBS reports that Dutch data centers received approximately 5.1 TWh of electricity in 2024, 4.6 percent of Dutch electricity consumption. Evidence from NRC reporting: the Microsoft data center in Middenmeer is linked to approximately 1 percent of all Dutch electricity and, according to NRC, Google does not provide comparable insight into consumption. Proven from AP/UNU-INWEH context: data centers are not only about direct power, but also water for cooling, water for electricity generation and land use. Uncertain: the precise global direct water consumption for data center cooling, because companies report differently and indirect water through power production is not always included. Likely: Water pressure becomes locally more important than the global average, especially in warm or dry regions and under rapid hyperscale clustering.

Striking in this message

Data centers are often framed as “cloud,” but the better term is sometimes “owned utility.” Cloud sounds light and everywhere; a data center is heavy and somewhere. It uses cables, transformers, cooling installations, water contracts and land. This changes the question from 'how smart is AI?' to 'who gets priority on electricity and water?'

Less visible context

Less visible is the difference between global percentage and local pressure. Worldwide, 1.5 percent electricity consumption seems manageable. Locally, however, one cluster can cause grid reinforcement, additional gas-fired power stations, cooling water pressure or delays for residential construction and industry. Water figures are also sensitive to definitions. A company can use less water on site through dry cooling, but therefore require more electricity. Or it can contract green energy without that electricity actually taking away the same grid pressure at every hour and in every location. Transparency must therefore not only be annual and global, but also regional, per type of source and per water system.

Possible message behind the news

A possible message is that data centers are part of modern progress and should therefore be given space. The sharper MOZOM reading is that progress is only defensible when the bill for power, water and grid capacity is made visible before the permits, cables and water rights have already been secured.

Neutral conclusion

The conclusion: the NRC report is newsworthy because it traces a global trend back to Dutch scarcity. Data centers worldwide already use hundreds of terawatt hours of power and by 2030 could come close to the current annual consumption of a large industrial country. Water consumption is even more difficult to count exactly, but that is precisely what makes transparency more urgent. Without open figures, the cloud remains a soft word for a hard infrastructure bill.