CAMPAIGNERS have said community backlash against AI data centres in Scotland is now "impossible to ignore" as the SNP prepare to install a moratorium on new developments.
The National revealed on Monday that the SNP's National Council – a key decision-making body in the party – has voted in favour of a temporary pause on data centre projects until regulations can be tightened.
The Guardian reported that the party then submitted the National Council's motion to the Scottish Government to consider, the first step in implementing a legally binding moratorium.
As the SNP and Greens together hold a clear majority in the Scottish Parliament, if a motion makes it to the voting stage, it would likely pass.
Campaigners are now urging the Scottish Government to follow through on implementing a temporary ban.
Tasha Marsden, one of the organisers of the campaign against a 300MW data centre in Larbert, near Falkirk, told The National that she remains "sceptical until these promises are put into action".
She said: "The community backlash on hyperscale AI data centre proposals has given the government whiplash. I think the scale of opposition from the public is now impossible for those in Holyrood to ignore.
"It’s clear that concerns have echoed beyond community halls and are now being reverberated at the top of government. Cross-party support for pressing the pause button on current proposals in the pipeline has been paramount to achieving that.
"The government’s change in position comes as a welcome step forward, but I will remain sceptical until these promises are put into action."
Sarah Finlay, a campaign organiser in Hermiston, in West Edinburgh, welcomed the "positive step" from the SNP, saying that "it is imperative that we fully understand what we are walking into before allowing a speculative developer gold rush to permanently reshape Scotland, while a small number of individuals stand to make enormous profits."
Andrea Cail, chair of the local community council in Auchtertool, where a 600MW facility that would dwarf the village in size is proposed, added: "We welcome the SNP National Council’s motion calling for a moratorium on all new data centres in Scotland. It is vital that this includes all those currently in planning as well as those being considered."
"Our local community formally requests a halt to these developments; a Scottish national debate including the community voice, and a full review of the advantages and disadvantages. Just now it is in the hands of the speculators. "
Several top figures, including First Minister John Swinney and Climate Secretary Gillian Martin, have previously distanced the Scottish Government from calls for a moratorium, with Martin saying planning guidance will be updated in 2027 while maintaining that current frameworks are adequate for local authorities to make informed decisions about the proposals.
While answering questions during a Climate and Rural Affairs debate in Holyrood, Martin went on to say that having a strict definition of a green data centre could be "counterproductive" because of the rapidly evolving industry meaning regulation could fall behind technological advancements, refusing to back a moratorium on developments
Swinney would later soften his stance, saying during a session of First Minister's Questions (FMQs) in June that the Scottish Government will "consider planning guidance" for AI data centres.
“I've been reflecting on the exchanges last week and looked further at this issue, and I'm giving active consideration to whether the Scottish Government should provide planning guidance to balance the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centres with national energy and climate goals, which are vital to our future prosperity,” Swinney told MSPs.
The Scottish Greens have urged the First Minister to commit to a moratorium on data centres over 50MW while national guidance is updated and a definition for "green data centre" is established.
The term has been used in planning applications to classify the projects as nationally important infrastructure, which could lead to more favourable planning rulings, but there is no requirements set out to define how these sites are "green", particularly as many would use gas or diesel generators to supply electricity, either as a primary source or for a 24/7 backup supply.
Former co-leader Patrick Harvie said: "Across Scotland, communities are becoming increasingly concerned about the threat that hyperscale data centres pose to their local areas and environment. We’re facing a land grab, and an energy grab, that will profit the tech giants at everyone else’s expense.
“Communities around the world have experienced energy price rises as a direct result of these kinds of developments, and we don’t want the same thing to happen here.
“The impact of these centres would be massive, but the lack of clear guidance means that our councils are being forced to make hugely important decisions in the dark.
“Thousands of people have already joined our call for a pause on all of these hyperscale applications until the Scottish Government gives our councils the tools they need to make informed decisions.
“We don't have time to waste. These applications are coming in thick and fast, and we need to make sure that none of these developments are decided before the right safeguards are even in place.
“It’s time for the First Minister to show leadership by pausing these applications and bringing together MSPs and councillors from across the political spectrum so that we can develop a clear national approach that puts an end to this corporate free-for-all."
Kat Jones, director of campaign group Action to Protect Rural Scotland, has been one of the most prominent figures in protesting AI data centre projects. She told The National that she is "cautiously optimistic" about the SNP National Council's move.
Jones said: "Since December we have been calling on the Scottish Government to put in place a moratorium on hyperscale AI data centres until their environmental impacts have been fully assessed, and governance can catch up with the speed this is moving.
"It is thanks to the campaigns springing up in communities which have the threat of hyperscale AI data centres hanging over them, that the issue is now so much in the public eye and that MSPs and Councillors are really starting to take notice.
"We are cautiously optimistic about this news and hope that the Scottish Government will make urgent moves to put in place a moratorium as soon as possible and start work on the strategic oversight needed.
"We want to see work start immediately to ensure hyperscale AI data centres are required to have an Environmental Impact Assessment, that the impacts on communities and the environment are fully investigated, and that proper guidance is provided to local authorities."
Fraser Sutherland, coalition manager for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, echoed this, saying: "We are calling for the Scottish Government to impose a ban on these schemes until effective guidelines and standards can be put in place that will help communities understand the full implications of any developments before construction begins."
