José Luis Gómez-Pardo, CEO of Valencia-based Nixval, says the data center’s water use is limited to its bathrooms. In an interview, he said the company’s monthly water bill reflects that consumption alone, arguing that water use is not representative of most Spanish data centers.
Nixval has operated for almost 20 years as a neutral data center, providing a shared location where internet providers can connect their networks. Gómez-Pardo compared the role to that of an airport: it does not own the planes, but offers infrastructure that makes regional connections more efficient. Keeping traffic within the Valencian Community could also help maintain local exchanges if long-distance links are disrupted, he said.
The interview also addressed Spain’s proposed sustainability rules for data centers. Gómez-Pardo supports renewable energy requirements in principle, but said matching at least 80% of a facility’s electricity use with new renewable generation every hour would be technically difficult and costly. Because data centers use power throughout the day and night, meeting the target could require a combination of solar, wind and batteries, as well as additional generation capacity.
He warned that higher costs could lead some planned investments to choose other countries. The proposed rules have been revised, but remain a concern for parts of the industry, which fears Spain could lose ground as a data center location.
Gómez-Pardo also argued that data centers can be more efficient than individual businesses running their own servers, and said the industry has not done enough to explain its role to the public. Looking ahead, he expects demand for computing close to users to grow as AI is used alongside sensors, machines and robots, where fast response times matter.
Sources: Xataka.