From reading to a useful conversation
You don’t need to be an expert to ask good questions.
A data centre is being discussed near you. Start with the basics, bring a short summary, and ask for answers people can check.
Start here
- Find the project. Look up nearby data centres and open the site you’re interested in.
- Read its short guide. Check whether the numbers describe what’s running today or what’s proposed.
- Bring one question. Choose the issue that matters most to you. You can print the site guide or share its link with a neighbour.
Questions you can take to a meeting
- About water
- Where will the water come from? How much will be used each year? What is the plan during a drought?
- About air
- Will there be gas turbines or diesel generators on site? How often can they run? Where can neighbours see their emissions records?
- About accountability
- Who is approving the project? When can residents comment? Will actual water use and operating hours be published?
The site guides include recorded water sources, project approvals and community concerns where available. See three things to look for in the paperwork.
Use the numbers with their context
These are estimates, with uncertainty of roughly 40% for an individual site. Water totals include the electricity supply, which may use water elsewhere. Pollution totals do not measure what someone breathes at home.
When you share a figure, include the site name, the date, whether it’s current or proposed capacity, and the word “estimated”. Check important figures against the latest project documents before publishing them.
Print, quote or share a site guide
Open any site’s full guide and choose “Print this page” or “Copy citation”. Share that page’s link so others can see the context and assumptions.
Free to quote, embed and republish for journalism, public-interest research, government and community organising, with a link back to Gigawatt Ledger.
Gigawatt Ledger (2026). [Site name]: water and air. [Link to site guide]. Estimated from disclosed capacity; uncertainty roughly ±40%.
Data and tools for reporters and researchers
The public JSON dataset includes 60 sites, with water and air estimates for current capacity and announced plans. No account or API key is needed.
Compare the largest impacts, or embed a site card in a story. Replace “colossus” below with the site’s identifier from its URL.
<iframe src="https://gigawatt-ledger.pages.dev/embed/colossus/" width="360" height="220" style="border:0" title="Gigawatt Ledger — Colossus"></iframe>
Some underlying research relies on search excerpts or inaccessible documents. Before publication, verify the emissions damage factors, reported water volumes, generator counts and any regulatory thresholds against primary documents. Read the calculation details.
Commercial reuse in a paid data product requires a licence. Request a commercial licence.