EVIDENCE from a UK Government agency suggests that there could be many more data centres built in Scotland than are currently planned.
The National Energy System Operator (NESO), which is responsible for planning and operating UK energy systems, has stated that up to 20% of the UK’s data centres could be located in Scotland, despite making up just 8% of the UK population.
NESO’s statement that it anticipated “a maximum of 20% of future demand could be located in Scotland” was made as part of its response to the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee ongoing inquiry into data centres – and first noted by environmental charity Friends of the Earth (FoE) Scotland.
Separately, Ofgem has said that data centre plans will require 80GW across the UK.
This would suggest that Scotland could end up with over 70 data centres to meet demand, or 16 GW capacity – equivalent to the electricity used by eight million homes.
There are at least 24 proposed publicly known projects at different stages of the planning process.
But campaigners have urged the Scottish Government to bring in a moratorium on all planned new data centres – with concerns over the impacts they may have on the environment and local communities.
The First Minister John Swinney has so far resisted calls for a pause on new developments, despite a new requirement for environmental impact assessments to be carried out on two proposed new centres.
Public finance minister Hannah Mary Goodlad announced recently that these would be required for two proposed data centres in Auchtertool in Fife and Wester Hermiston in Edinburgh.
“It seems that current plans, which have already seen massive pushback against huge data centres across Scotland, are only the tip of the iceberg, and that numbers could triple to over 70 data centres in Scotland if UK projections are acted on,” Kim Pratt, senior campaigner for FoE Scotland, said.
“The Scottish Government has an opportunity to stand up to Westminster by introducing a moratorium on data centres in its plans for the next year, which will be published tomorrow (1 September). Councils need guidance on these decisions so they can protect people and nature until proper safeguards on these monster developments are put in place.”
She added: “The UK Government and its bodies are pushing data centres and their polluting and harmful impacts north of the border, creating an unfair burden for the people of Scotland. Planning powers are devolved so the UK Government has no right to do this.”
