Scottish Green Datacentre Policy Overlooks 6.2GW AI Power Demand, Based on 2022 Analysis
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 24
Scottish Green Datacentre Policy Overlooks 6.2GW AI Power Demand, Based on 2022 Analysis
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 24
APRS said Scotland’s planning policy treats “green datacentres” as having negligible climate impact even though more than a dozen proposed sites could draw about 6.2GW—1.5 times Scotland’s winter peak demand.
The charity said that conclusion rests on 2022 analysis completed before ChatGPT, when officials assumed datacentre emissions would be offset by less travel rather than rising AI power use.
That gap leaves no clear definition of a “green datacentre,” APRS said, potentially helping projects win favorable planning treatment; one Edinburgh scheme cited the label despite including 200 diesel backup generators.
The warning lands as Scotland courts AI investment, including an £8.2 billion Lanarkshire growth zone, while UK energy officials have also said more than 100 datacentre projects sought gas connections because grid hookups face long delays.
Scottish ministers said they still see datacentres as compatible with net-zero goals, citing renewable power, skilled workers and fiber infrastructure, but Green MSP Ariane Burgess called for urgent clarity on definitions and grid impacts.
With so much wind power wasted, why are Scotland's 'green' datacentres planning to burn fossil fuels?
Is Scotland's AI boom a green energy future, or just a profitable loophole for land developers?