Lokesh allays concerns about environmental impact of data centers in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh IT and HR Minister Nara Lokesh at a fireside chat organized by India Public Affairs Forum in New Delhi on Thursday | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Seeking to allay concerns over the likely adverse impacts of data centers, IT Minister Nara Lokesh said the government is taking a holistic approach to ensure that the growth of data centers is environmentally sustainable.

In terms of power consumption, the state government has set a norm that at least 70% of power used by data centers must come from renewable sources, including solar, wind, pumped storage and battery, he said during an interview with Arijit Sen at a fireside chat organized by the Public Affairs Forum of India in New Delhi on Thursday.

Regarding the water requirements of the data centers, he noted that the state will meet the water needs of the Google data center located near Visakhapatnam through the left bank Polavaram canal. The Polavaram project helped in the utilization of water that would otherwise have flowed into the Bay of Bengal.

According to him, the government has been encouraging data center companies to set up desalination plants and one such plant is already being set up.

According to him, the joint solution of energy, water and other environmental requirements is essential for the sustainable development of data centers, and he added that the government has focused on this.

Published – 24 Sep 2026 20:10 IST