Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signed a recycled water supply agreement with Greater Western Water (GWW) for its under-development data center site in western Melbourne, Australia.
GWW will supply the AWS data center with recycled water from its Melton Recycled Water Plant (RWP) at Mt Cottrell, Melbourne.
According to GWW, the deal is the first within the state of Victoria, and follows the release of the Victorian Government’s Industry Water Connection Guide. The guide was designed to enable large industrial water consumers to work directly with Victorian water corporations to enhance water security.
“We’re thrilled to announce, alongside AWS, that the Melton Recycled Water Plant (RWP) is expected be the first in Victoria to supply a data center with recycled water,” said GWW managing director Cameron FitzGerald. “We know data centers and large industrial users of water are increasingly looking for innovative ways to reduce their environmental footprint, and we’re keen to see more of them follow AWS’ lead in working with us to get connected to recycled water.”
While not explicitly confirmed, it seems likely the recycled wastewater will supply AWS’s planned data center at 54-80 Ferris Road, Cobblebank, about 40km (24.8 miles) west of Melbourne’s center. Plans for the facility first emerged in 2024, and it is expected to be located on a 13.2-hectare site and cost an estimated $50 million. Details on the data center's capacity and construction timeline have not been disclosed.
Commenting on the recycled water deal, AWS head of Infrastructure and Energy Policy, Australia and New Zealand, Matt O’Rourke, said: "Connecting a data center to recycled water from day one of operations is a significant first for Victoria and AWS in Australia. Working closely with Greater Western Water to deliver recycled water to our new data center in Western Melbourne will help preserve millions of liters of drinking water annually for local communities.
“By investing in the infrastructure to connect our data center facility to the Melton Recycled Water Plant, we're further demonstrating our commitment to water stewardship in Australia, and our global water positive goal to return more water than we use in the communities in which we operate.”
AWS first entered Australia in 2012 when it launched a cloud region in Sydney. A second region was added in 2023, located in Melbourne. An AWS Local Zone was launched that same year in Perth.
In July 2024, AWS announced it was building a data center for the Australian government that would handle "top-secret" data. The data center and cloud system are being developed as a partnership between AWS and the Australian government, with the latter committing to investing AU$2 billion (US$1.3 billion) in the new system over the next ten years.
Amazon currently operates 26 facilities using 100 percent reclaimed water, with 130 more contracted globally. The firm has a goal to reach water positivity by 2030, and recently reported that it is 75 percent of the way there. The company recently disclosed that its data center portfolio consumed 2.5 billion gallons of water last year, a 2 percent decrease from 2024 to 2025.