The Ministry of Environment has today clarified that the proposed Google ICT facility has neither been applied for nor assessed as a hyperscale data centre, and the water consumption figures reported internationally for large data centres are not applicable to it.
The Ministry has noted public concern about water consumption at the proposed facility, raised by reference to international reporting on data centres.
They say the development assessed by the Department of Environment is a cable landing development comprising a landing station facility, beach manholes and conduits, and a marine subsea cable landing.
The Environment Ministry says the development is similar to the facility operated by Fiji International Telecommunications Ltd (FINTEL) at Vatuwaqa, Suva, which hosts major systems such as Southern Cross NEXT and Gondwana 2.
In January 2025, Google’s Bulikula and Tabua undersea telecommunications cables were also landed at that facility.
The Ministry also says it is aware of concerns regarding activities that may be taking place within the project area.
In accordance with its regulatory responsibilities under the Environment Management Act 2005, the Ministry is prepared to undertake a compliance inspection to verify activities on the ground and determine whether all environmental approvals, approval conditions and legal requirements are being complied with.
