PLANS for an immense data centre campus in Scotland, which would be the largest in the world if approved, have been condemned as "reckless".
The Scottish Greens have warned the proposals for the 1000MW campus in Dumfries and Galloway, on land north of the decommissioned nuclear power station at Chapelcross, "endangers our energy supply and natural environment".
Just weeks ago, the Scottish Government agreed to pause decisions on applications for hyperscale data centres until national guidance is produced, which is expected by Christmas.
However, applications can still be submitted during this period.
The plans, submitted to Dumfries and Galloway Council on Tuesday on behalf of CX Tech Limited, comprise of eight 120MW data centres and a training centre.
The total capacity of the centres would be 1000MW, which is larger than any data centre campus currently in operation – Switch's Citadel Campus in Nevada, in the US, which has a capacity of 650MW.
Developers say the centres would be built over an eight-year period, and would create 750 construction jobs and 40 apprenticeships.
They also claim that around 450 permanent direct jobs will be created once the campus is operational.
The National previously told how campaigners raised concerns over the plans, expressing frustration that they had been given just weeks to consider the proposals before the consultation period closes.
They estimate that the centre will require seven million MWh of energy per year, which is equivalent to the energy used by more than two million homes.
The Scottish Greens have now also expressed concerns over the proposals.
The party pointed towards the developer's own environmental impact assessment which states that the facility would have a "moderate adverse and significant" impact on the environment.
The Greens claimed that emissions from the site would exceed the legal limit for greenhouse gas emissions in Dumfries and Galloway by almost double when fully operational.
Scottish Greens MSP Laura Moodie, who represents the area where the campus has been proposed, said the plans were "one of the most seriously concerning data centre applications to date".
"The proposed site alone would use an unsustainably high amount of energy," she said.
The MSP added: “While household energy bills keep going up, hyperscale data centres will only make that worse.
"The average household in Ireland now pays an extra £300 a year on energy, because of data centres.
"At the same time, tech giants and billionaires are making huge profits off of these applications."
Moodie highlighted how the Scottish Government previously stated that no decisions on applications will be reached before the end of the year.
"But now we are seeing the possibility of the world’s largest data centre campus setting up in my region, with the community given just weeks to respond," the MSP added.
Moodie continued: “The site at Chapelcross should be the best place to put a data centre by utilising a decommissioned brownfield site.
"But the proposal which has been lodged is reckless and endangers our energy supply and natural environment. Until we have a clear national strategy from the Government, this proposal cannot proceed.
“This application must be rejected because of the risks and consequences it could bring to our energy grid and our rural communities.”
CX Tech Limited has been contacted for comment.
