A report published by El Periódico de Aragón on October 29, 2026, said Aragón’s environmental agency, Inaga, had authorized Amazon Web Services (AWS) to raise the annual water ceiling for its data center in El Burgo de Ebro from 36,461 to 53,961 cubic meters. The reported increase applies to the site’s permitted maximum, not a measurement of water consumed.
What the reported cap covers
| Stage | Annual water ceiling at El Burgo de Ebro |
| Earlier authorization | 36,461 m³ |
| Revised maximum reported by El Periódico de Aragón | 53,961 m³ |
The reported increase is 17,500 m³ a year, or about 48% above the earlier allowance. The earlier figure appears in a 2025 notice from the Boletín Oficial de Aragón.
AWS sought the change in late 2024, citing warmer site conditions and cooling estimates that no longer matched the original assumptions. The report said Inaga found that the proposed change would not have significant environmental effects requiring an ordinary environmental impact assessment. It also described requirements for AWS to amend its integrated environmental authorization and provide detailed information on water supply, use, wastewater, treatment and storage. Reported conditions included environmental monitoring and restoration of the site when it is decommissioned.
Cooling and water treatment plans
The revised application estimates that water-assisted cooling could run for up to 900 hours per year, compared with an earlier estimate of 555 hours. It also raises the reported temperature threshold for switching from free cooling to water-assisted cooling from 28.3°C to 29.4°C. The application described the higher threshold as a way to reduce water use.
The reported design proposes one centralized nanofiltration plant, with an estimated water recovery of about 70%, and storage for up to 72 hours. These are project estimates, not operating results.
Reported demand and local irrigation
AWS was separately reported as putting current demand at 36,662 m³, 201 m³ above the former annual ceiling. That comparison alone does not establish an overrun: the reported demand figure is not presented as a defined annual measurement.
A separate irrigation restriction was reported for the Acequia de Camarera in the Gállego basin. On September 15, 2026, its allocation was reportedly reduced to 35%, following a 60% restriction in August, affecting about 4,500 hectares. The El Burgo data center’s reported water source is the Canal Imperial de Aragón, a different water system.
The October 29 report also described AWS requests for similar changes at Villanueva de Gállego and Huesca as expected to be approved.
Local data-center policy has also involved taxes. On October 8, 2026, AWS said it would make municipal economic-activities tax payments in El Burgo de Ebro, Villanueva de Gállego and Huesca, including retroactive payments for 2023 to 2026. Our earlier report on AWS’s Aragón tax commitment covers that separate announcement.
