Querétaro Will Measure the Impact of Data Centers

The Annual Operating Plan (COA) will be implemented—following concerns about water demand in data centers—to measure the environmental impact of this industry in the state, according to Marco Antonio Del Prete Tercero, Secretary of Sustainable Development (Sedesu) for Querétaro.

Questions regarding the environmental impact are particularly relevant given that the state accounts for 72% of Mexico’s installed data center capacity.

The state secretary announced that, in coordination with the Mexican Association of Data Centers (MEXDC), they agreed to implement the COA, a tool for collecting information.

“The environmental impact we have observed to date (from data centers) is not what we’ve been told, because the data exists. Although we do not have the responsibility or obligation to quantify water consumption, we are beginning to do so through an Annual Operations Report, in which the data center will report to us how many emissions it generates—which are minimal—how much water it consumes, and how much waste it generates—which is also minimal; and what impact the data center’s operation might have on the environment—we are beginning to do this in coordination with the Mexican Data Center Association,” he said.

Regarding the demand for energy resources, it was acknowledged that energy is the raw material for technological complexes, explaining why some companies were investing in facilities to meet their needs. On the other hand, when asked about the existence of standards regarding the environmental guidelines that such data centers must comply with, the official clarified that some companies are investing in facilities to meet their needs.

The use of the COA is a voluntary agreement; it reflects the data center industry’s own interest in reporting its water consumption; the results are expected to be published in early 2027.