Rowan Digital Infrastructure
Case studies
Sector
Energy Intensive Industry and Industrial Precincts
Region
North America
UN SDGs
Water sustainability strategies for community driven water positive impact (MedinaCounty, TX, USA)
Challenge
The rapid growth of cloud computing and AI is driving demand for data centres, increasing pressure on local water resources, particularly in water-stressed regions. As water availability becomes more constrained, investors are placing greater scrutiny on how data centres source, use and manage water. Developers are therefore expected to minimise consumption while contributing to the long-term resilience of local water systems.
Context
Rowan Digital Infrastructure is developing the 300 MW Cinco Project in Medina County, Texas. Construction began in 2025, with the first phase expected online in 2027. Capacity is leased to a leading global technology company.
Throughout development, Rowan’s Energy & Water team has worked to identify opportunities for meaningful community partnerships that achieve water positive outcomes and redefine digital infrastructure development.
Rowan is committed to meaningful community partnerships that move beyond minimising impact to delivering real, measurable advances in water stewardship and sustainability. By collaborating with our hyperscale partners and with the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy on this initiative, we are delivering on our promise to redefine digital infrastructure development through our work as a responsible, responsive, and community-oriented partner to the Medina County region.
Chris Kurtz
Director of Water Strategy at Rowan
Solution
Developing bespoke water sustainability strategies
Rowan understands that water is a shared public resource and assesses each site’s hydrologic setting and regional water stress to determine site specific water sustainability drivers. By collaborating with local water partners and hyperscale customers, appropriate cooling technology is selected. Rowan pursues water positive opportunities and is implementing water replenishment projects with our hyperscale partner.
Low Water Use Cooling Technology |
Water replenishment |
|---|---|
| Closed loop cooling that reuses water and requires supply only during startup. | Rowan and our hyperscale partner will invest funding into agricultural water efficiency projects, replenishing 250% of Project Cinco’s water use. |
Community driven water positive impact in arid regions
As one of the most prolific aquifers in the world, the Edwards Aquifer is a drinking water source for over 2.5 million people in South Central Texas and primary industrial and agricultural water source. The aquifer also serves as water supply for Rowan’s 300 MW Project Cinco campus in Medina County, Texas.
Rowan and its hyperscale customer has partnered with the Edwards Aquifer Authority and Edwards Aquifer Conservancy to fund the Groundwater Conservation Program incentivising on farm agricultural water efficiency reducing aquifer withdrawals while maintaining the same level of crop production.
With our hyperscale partner, this investment is expected to significantly reduce aquifer use over a 10-year period. Water efficiency projects are expected to be fully deployed by the end of 2026 and benefits realised starting 2027.
