MSPs have rejected an outright moratorium on AI data centres, instead backing a pause on planning and consent decisions until the Scottish Government publishes national planning guidance.
A motion was lodged by the Scottish Greens which called for a pause on planning applications amid a surge of speculative proposals for huge facilities across the country.
The party called for a national strategy and updated planning guidance to be produced, taking account of the “cumulative impacts on energy demand and the environment” of such developments.
A Labour amendment also called for decisions on applications to be paused until national planning guidance is updated to "provide clarity on spatial, community and social impacts" of such centres.
An SNP amendment said "new hyper-scale data centres in Scotland will only be approved where they have met robust environmental impact assessments", but the party did not back a full moratorium.
The SNP amendment passed with 72 MSPs voting yes and 32 voting no. There were 19 abstentions.
The Labour amendment passed with 94 MSPs voting yes, and 26 voting no.
The motion passed as amended with 80 voting yes, 26 voting no and 15 abstentions.
Campaigners have raised concerns about the environmental impact of such centres, along with the impact on Scotland's energy system and water supplies. Outlander star Sam Heughan had also urged MSPs to back a moratorium.
Ahead of the vote, the Scottish Government announced tighter rules for AI data centre applications.
New data centres with a power capacity exceeding 50 megawatts – also known as "hyperscale" centres – will now be required to submit environmental impact assessments during planning.
It comes after the Scottish Government brought in rules last month which require ministers to be made aware of new applications within seven days of validation.
A total of 25,000 people have signed a petition launched by Action to Protect Rural Scotland calling for a moratorium.
Public finance minister Hannah Mary Goodlad said during the debate: "We do not agree that there should be a moratorium. That is not necessary, it's not appropriate, and it would send the wrong message to anyone looking to invest in Scotland.
"We cannot prevent planning applications from being lodged, nor should we. And applications have a right to receive a timely decision."
She added: "Rigorous scrutiny of a proposed development by capable planning professionals, backed up by environmental assessment, is more appropriate than a blanket suspension of all developments, regardless of their needs."
The Scottish Government has committed to publishing national guidance on hyperscale data centres before Christmas.
But Greens MSP Mark Ruskell accused the Scottish Government of "not listening to the communities who are raising concerns".
He said: "I'm not clear, currently sitting here, whether every single planning application in Scotland for a high-scale AI data centre will be required to have an environmental impact assessment.
"I'm not talking about the ones that have come between now and Christmas time. I'm talking about the ones that are currently in the planning system."
Ruskell said that local communities "have had to become the experts, the lawyers, they've had to fundraise, they've had to organise, they've had to galvanise people in a hope that governments can and must do better to protect them".
He concluded in the debate: "It's clear that hyperscale AI data centres have lost their social licence. This is an early test for this Parliament. It's an early test for this Government to back a moratorium, to be clear with the public, to be clear with communities."
Labour MSP Monica Lennon called for clarity on the scope of the national guidance and whether planning applications will be paused in the meantime, as did Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton.
Hamilton also called on the Scottish Government to define what is meant by a "green data centre".
Reform MSP Graham Simpson said Scotland should not turn its back on data centres outright but also should not allow major developments "to proceed unchecked".
"The scale of what's proposed underlines why national guidance is needed and quickly," Simpson told the chamber.
The Scottish Government has said it does not anticipate any planning decisions will be made before the national guidance is issued, minister Tom Arthur confirmed.
Campaigners react to pause
Kat Jones, director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said: "This is a landmark day for all those communities across Scotland who have been extremely concerned about projects coming forward in their areas. There's much still to be done but this is a huge step forward and we can all at least take a breath now.
"The Scottish Greens have been working tirelessly to see a pause in planning decisions until there is a proper national strategy in place, and Scottish Labour have played a huge role today in getting this over the line."
Fraser Sutherland, coalition manager for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, said: “It’s good that Scottish ministers have finally woken up to the need for stringent environmental impact assessments to be carried out by companies aiming to build hyperscale data centres. “Community groups across the country will be baffled why it took for the government benches to be on the brink of losing a parliamentary vote before they listened to the views of their constituents and not big tech lobbyists.
“However, there are still many questions that must be answered to allow informed decisions to be made.
“Experts are warning that ordinary householders could face even bigger energy bills if the raft of giant data centres currently in the Scottish planning system get the go-ahead. Figures from Ireland have shown an average hike of €360, around £310, to electricity bills because of the increased demand on the grid from data centres.
“The 24 schemes already being planned in Scotland would more than double demand for power, likely requiring major upgrades to the electricity grid – work that is currently paid for by consumers."
He added: “Scottish ministers must use this temporary hold on plans for new hyperscale data centres to allow the full impacts of these energy-guzzling developments to be understood.
“Even the SNP’s own national council has called for a moratorium until robust guidance is set out.”
