Cuarte Residents Reject Amazon's Walqa Data Center

The data center, named Walqa 2, will occupy almost 70 hectares and have an investment of 714.6 million euros. It is one of five new data centers that AWS will build in Aragón, which will add to the three already existing. Amazon plans to occupy 354 hectares in the region. The residents of Cuarte are concerned about the water consumption, electricity usage, and job opportunities. They estimate that the data centers will consume over 755,000 cubic meters of water per year for cooling equipment. Amazon has acknowledged that it needs 48% more water than initially planned due to the heat. The residents also worry about the impact on the local electricity supply, with an estimated 2,270 GWh of electricity usage per year, which is a quarter of the region’s total electricity consumption. The representative of the association, Carlos Oliván, notes that there will be temporary job opportunities during the construction phase, but few permanent jobs will be created in the sector. The residents have already successfully negotiated with Amazon to divert part of the high-voltage line and finance water infrastructure for the town and other nearby villages.