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Written question asked by Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 11 March 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 25 March 2025. It was answered by Lord Vallance of Balham (Labour) on Tuesday, 25 March 2025 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.


Data Centres: Waste Heat Recovery

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to use heat recovery systems in artificial intelligence growth zones, such as Culham, to combine the cooling of data infrastructure with the heating of local homes and amenities.

Answer

Data centres produce significant heat, most of which is currently wasted into the environment. The technology exists to capture this heat and reuse it in district heating networks, or for heat intensive industries. We welcome the inclusion of heat recovery systems within applications for AI Growth Zones alongside other sustainable solutions.

We are engaging with developers and operators to determine whether further interventions are necessary and appropriate to encourage adoption of heat recovery. The Greater London Authority is currently developing a pilot to test heating up to 10,000 homes and at least one hospital from London-based data centres.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL5665
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Waste heat recovery Artificial intelligence Data centres
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk