Summary
- State secretary J. de Bat has deferred answers to questions submitted by MPs Zalinyan and Kathmann on 5 October.
- The government says additional interdepartmental coordination is necessary.
- Ministers intend to respond before the digital autonomy committee debate on 19 November 2026.
The Dutch government has delayed its response to parliamentary questions concerning gaps in information about data centre electricity and water consumption, citing the need for further coordination between government departments.
A notice received by the House of Representatives on 26 October confirms that questions submitted by MPs Zalinyan and Kathmann on 5 October cannot be answered within the normal period.
State secretary J. de Bat said additional interdepartmental consultation is required and that the government aims to provide answers before the parliamentary committee debate on digital autonomy scheduled for 19 November.
The questions concern reporting that Dutch authorities have limited information about how much electricity and water the country’s data centres consume.
The postponement notice does not provide revised consumption figures, identify the precise gaps in existing datasets, or announce new reporting requirements.
It follows separate delays reported on 20 October in responses to questions from other MPs on similar concerns. The latest document is a distinct parliamentary response, although the underlying policy issue remains closely related.
Reliable electricity data are important because the capacity allocated to a data centre through a grid connection is not the same as the electricity it actually consumes.
A connection rating establishes the maximum power that may be available under the relevant agreement and operating conditions. Annual consumption depends on the equipment installed, utilisation, operating hours, and energy required by supporting systems.
Data centres may also report IT electricity demand separately from the consumption of cooling plant, power conversion equipment, and other facility infrastructure.
Differences in reporting boundaries can complicate comparisons between installations, particularly where operators use different measures of installed capacity, contracted load, or actual consumption.
Water reporting presents additional challenges. Cooling systems can withdraw water from a supply network, consume water through evaporation, and discharge part of the water received.
Consumption and withdrawal are therefore different measures, while the type of water used can affect how a facility places pressure on local resources.
Some installations use dry cooling systems intended to minimise direct water consumption. Others rely on evaporative arrangements, reclaimed supplies, or combinations of different cooling technologies.
National statistics need consistent definitions if they are to describe these arrangements accurately and provide a useful basis for infrastructure planning.
The Netherlands faces substantial electricity connection demand from proposed computing facilities, making it important to distinguish developments that have requested capacity from those already operating and consuming electricity.
Water availability also varies geographically, so national totals cannot replace the assessment of local supply conditions and the requirements of other users.
European reporting arrangements already cover the energy performance of significant data centres, but their existence does not establish whether the Dutch government has all the consumption information sought by parliamentarians or how much of it is publicly available.
The latest postponement leaves those questions unanswered. The government has not yet set out whether further disclosure, changes in data collection, or additional regulatory measures will be necessary.
The substantive response expected before 19 November should clarify which information ministers hold and whether the gaps identified by parliamentarians require changes to the existing reporting framework.
