Climate & Environment

Green Visakha Calls for Halt of Google‑Backed AI Data Centres in Andhra Pradesh

By Livemint

Green Visakha, an environmental NGO, has demanded that all permissions granted for artificial intelligence data centres in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts be cancelled and that construction at Tarluvada and Adavivaram be stopped. The call follows a rally organised by the group on Wednesday, the first anniversary of the Andhra Pradesh government’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Google for an AI hub in the city. Green Visakha questioned the environmental impact of the projects and urged the state government to release a white paper detailing the agreements.

The MoU, signed on 14 October 2025, envisages a $15 billion investment in the AI hub, with AdaniConneX as a partner. The NGO said the government had not followed the prescribed framework for evaluating environmental and infrastructure requirements, and that approvals granted without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and a public hearing were not legally valid. It has called for a review of the permissions and a halt to construction until its concerns are addressed.

Green Visakha highlighted that large data centres require substantial electricity and water, and alleged that the state had not adhered to the Data Centre Evaluation Framework released by NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub. The framework is intended to help states plan for sustainable growth in the data centre sector.

During the rally, about 200 participants, many wearing black, walked from the HP gas godown near the old dairy farm to the last bus stop at Ravindranagar despite heavy rain, marking the day as a “Black Day for Vizag.” Members of Climate Action, the Coalition for AI Regulation, the Pourachaitanya Vedika and student organisations joined, chanting slogans such as “Stop Vizag Data Centres.” The event concluded with a 10‑minute street play titled Datasura Vadhanam, depicting the environmental costs of data centre development.

Green Visakha’s treasurer, G. Kantarao, said the group would also seek the views of mayoral and corporator candidates on data centres ahead of the upcoming local body elections, aiming to make the issue part of the electoral debate.

The demands place the environmental implications of Andhra Pradesh’s planned AI infrastructure expansion at the centre of a debate over investment, regulatory compliance and the sustainable use of local resources.