Aerial view of a data centre facility in Melbourne under construction | Image Credit: GoAerials/Stock.Adobe.comArticle supplied by Michael Cronin, State Director at WT Australia, a project advisor in the data centre sector. Power is the central commercial constraintIn many locations, power availability is changing how potential data centre sites are valued. As regulators, utilities and communities place greater scrutiny on water security, proponents need credible strategies to minimise, substitute, recycle or offset water demand. A water-saving option that increases power demand may still be the right answer, but the trade-off needs to be clear. Many of the electrical upgrades, recycled water schemes and network augmentations delivered for data centre projects continue to benefit surrounding communities long after construction is complete.