Managing the Environmental Impacts of Data Centres

A cross-sector, holistic approach to developing and operating sustainable data centres that achieve a positive environmental and social impact

Free online conference, 11-13 May 2026

INTRODUCTION

Rapid growth in data centre capacity and electricity consumption is a global phenomenon, with investment in data centres expected to reach more than $1tr by 2029. But this growth comes with complex environmental and social challenges, in terms of the demand for land, energy, water, nature conservation and the impact on local communities.

This free online conference on 11-13 May 2026 will explore a cross-sector, holistic approach to developing and operating data centres that achieve a positive environmental and social impact.

Join the event to hear from, and put your questions to, international speakers from data centre developers and operators, energy and water companies, regulators and lawyers.

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Date: 11-13 May 2026

Format: Online

Price: Free to attend

JOIN A GLOBAL, CROSS-SECTOR AUDIENCE

Join over 700 data centre developers & operators, policy makers, sustainability advisors, infrastructure experts and more

From over 340 companies

40 industries including data centre developers and operators, big tech, energy and water utilities, government, construction, investment and legal

Representing over 40 countries across the globe

EVENT OVERVIEW

Day One: Assessing environmental impacts and developing standardised approaches to decarbonisation goals

Monday 11th May
2-5pm BST / 9am-12pm ET

Ensuring sustainable data centres: why whole-systems evidence matters

Effectively collecting the data needed for robust and transparent reporting on the environmental impacts of data centres

Day Two: Strategies for resource optimisation and efficiency

Tuesday 12th May
2-5pm BST / 9am-12pm ET

Future-proofing the grid to minimise energy usage and meet growing demand

Achieving water stewardship in data centre development and operations

Day Three: Achieving positive environmental and community impacts through effective site selection

Wednesday 13th May
2-5pm BST / 9am-12pm ET

Reviewing the current planning and due diligence process for the location and development of data centres
A sustainable approach to site selection to achieve long-term environmental and community benefits

Achieving biodiversity net gain goals

Site selection in relation to urban planning

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Showcase your expertise, elevate your brand and put yourself in front of those shaping the future of sustainable data centre growth by sponsoring this event.

Enquire now to learn more about sponsorship and speaking opportunities.

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agenda

EVENT AGENDA

VIEW THE SPEAKERS

Assessing the environmental impacts of data centres and developing standardised approaches to decarbonisation goals

DAY ONE

Monday 11th May, 2-5pm BST / 9am-12pm ET

Exact timings to be confirmed

2pm BST / 9am ET

Welcome from Environment Analyst

Session 1: Ensuring sustainable data centres: why whole-systems evidence matters

The impact of data centres on water availability, demand on the power grid, air, land and natural resources are currently looked at in silo. This discussion will be a multi‑sector conversation on the real‑world challenges of data‑centre growth, and how collaborative, science‑based insights can guide smarter planning, fairer resource use and more resilient infrastructure.

Moderator: Carolynne Lord, Senior Digital Sociologist, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

Panellists:

Adrian Friday, Professor of Computing and Sustainability, Lancaster University
Jon Saltmarsh, Chief Technology Officer, Energy Systems Catapult

Session 2: Effectively collecting the data needed for robust and transparent reporting on the environmental impacts of data centres

A Holistic Approach: Driving a Sustainable Future for the Data Centre Sector

The importance of a holistic approach and strategy, supported by data collection and evidencing. Explored through an overview of the principles of Azolla, AtkinsRéalis’ sustainability framework and building design tool, enabling projects to define bespoke targets across environment, adaptation, energy, resources, economics, connectivity, social value, and health and wellbeing, with reference to project application including a combined data centre and energy campus project.

Olivia Hough, Sustainable Materials Lead, AtkinsRéalis

Ambition to Action: Setting credible decarbonisation targets for data centres

The data centre sector is rapidly becoming trillion-dollar infrastructure, with emissions already around 1% of the global total. As investment and emissions rise rapidly in response to demand, so too does the need for credible, standardised approaches to measuring and reducing their environmental impact. Yet organisations face persistent challenges in collecting consistent data, defining boundaries, and translating metrics into meaningful decarbonisation strategies.

This session will explore how data centre operators, investors and stakeholders can move beyond fragmented metrics toward robust, science-aligned target setting, and how decarbonisation fits within the wider environmental context of energy use, water consumption, land use and biodiversity.

Amanda Skeldon, Built Environment Engagement Specialist, Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

Overview of LEED

LEED is a global framework for designing and operating high-performance data centres by reducing energy use, improving water efficiency and lowering carbon emissions, without compromising operational reliability. Through third-party certification, LEED provides transparent, verifiable performance in energy and water use, carbon reduction, and sustainable materials utilization.

Khoi Do, Vice President, U.S. Market Transformation & Development, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

Anna Dowson, Senior Director of Sustainability, GreenScale Data Centres

Overview of BREEAM

Breana Wheeler, Director of Operations – U.S., BRE

Chris Pennington, Director Energy and Sustainability, Iron Mountain

2:50pm BST / 9:10am ET

2:05pm BST / 9:05am ET

DAY TWO

Strategies for resource optimisation and efficiency

Tuesday 12th May, 2-5pm BST / 9am-12pm ET

Exact timings to be confirmed

Welcome from Environment Analyst

Session 3: Future-proofing the grid to minimise energy usage and meet growing demand

This session will include two panel discussions, with one focusing on the US and the other on Europe.

Managing current and future energy demand on the grid

Accurately predicting energy needs and managing customer demands and the load on the grid to ensure energy security
Harnessing data centre growth and investment to strengthen and future-proof the grid, reduce costs and enable energy equity
Mitigating the impact of data centre location on grid performance
Exploring co-generation and co-location opportunities to better manage energy demand fluctuations
Evaluating energy alternatives including battery energy storage, hydrogen-ready systems, fuel cells, nuclear, and advanced hybrid solutions

Solutions for waste heat utilisation to reduce energy waste

Developing and implementing effective heat networks to improve efficiency

Exploring how AI can optimise energy consumption in data centres

US panellists:

Chair: Brad Johnson, Director, Electric Utilities, Bentley Systems
Brian Granahan, Director, Illinois Power Agency
Hal Corin, Chief Development Officer, Viridi Parente
Coleman Peiffer, Senior Manager, Data Center Services, Alliant Energy and Vice-Chair of the Wisconsin Data Center Coalition
Brad Klein, Managing Attorney, the Environmental Law & Policy Center
Stephen Bennett, Senior Manager, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, PJM Interconnection

European panellists:

Tim Foster, Director of Energy for Business, Conrad Energy
Gareth Richardson, Client Director, AtkinsRéalis

Session 4: Achieving water stewardship in data centre development and operations

According to the UK Government Digital Sustainability Alliance’s (GDSA) report, AI is predicted to increase global water usage from 1.1bn to 6.6bn cubic metres by 2027, which is equivalent to more than half of the UK’s total annual water usage.

This international panel will explore how to better plan water resources at a catchment level, and strategies for managing the demand, treatment and re-use of water in data centre operations.

Exploring water stewardship commitments and the benefits of setting these
Managing current and future water demand and supply
Implications of regulatory and policy drivers
Solutions for Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE)
- water re-use and treatment options
- alternative cooling technologies
Reducing the impact of data centres on regional water stress

Panellists:

Geoff Darch, Head of Strategic Asset Planning, Anglian Water
Julie Bolthouse, Director of Land Use, Piedmont Environmental Council

2pm BST / 9am ET

4pm BST / 11am ET

2:05pm BST / 9:05am ET

Achieving positive environmental and community impacts through effective site selection

DAY THREE

Wednesday 13th May, 2-5pm BST / 9am-12pm ET

Exact timings to be confirmed

Welcome from Environment Analyst

Session 5: Reviewing the current planning and due diligence process for the location and development of data centres

Factors influencing planning requirements, including Environmental Impact Assessments

Approaches to permitting applications

Assessing the impact of data centre classification as UK Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in practice

Managing the implications of US state-restrictions on data privacy for site selection

Accelerating the consenting and planning process to minimise delays

Optimising land-use
- managing the competitive landscape and conflicts with residential house-building
- innovative solutions for reducing land-take
Priority metrics for European governments addressing planetary impact of data centres
Understanding impact and communicating trade offs effectively to stakeholders

Panellists:

Rich Kenny, Managing Director at Interact, Co-Chair of the UK GDSA Planetary Impact Working Group & Co-Chair of the IEEE Water Resource Management Technologies Industry Connections Program
Andrew Howell, Senior Director and Head of Research for Sustainable Finance, Environmental Defense Fund
Christopher Amy, Environmental Program Manager, Terracon

Case study: A sustainable approach to site selection to achieve long-term environmental and community benefits

Embedding social value into data centre development and operations

Engaging with the community from the outset and effectively communicating the value of data centres for positive outcomes

Helen Munro, Head of Environment & Sustainability, Pulsant

Session 6: Achieving biodiversity net gain (BNG) goals in data centre development

Considering the importance of biodiversity and nature at site selection, including:

Methodologies for this

Enabling application of the mitigation hierarchy

Reducing biodiversity impacts.

Session 7: Considering site selection in relation to urban planning

Bringing brownfield sites back into re-use for data centre development, and achieving a collaborative approach to site selection that considers urban development.

Chair: Nin Prakash, Global Land Contamination Program Manager, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Panellists:

Linda Yang, Senior Principal, Vice President & Director of Growth, Environmental Services, Terracon
Andrea Merkle, Global E&H Data Centre Sector Lead, Ramboll
C40 Cities

2pm BST / 9am ET

3:10pm BST / 10:10am ET

2:05pm BST / 9:05am ET

4:10pm BST / 11:10am ET

speakers

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Get a first look at the speakers for this event! We're in the process of confirming speakers - to discuss speaking opportunities please contact emily.ridge@environment-analyst.com

VIEW THE SPEAKERS