Scotland to Require Environmental Assessments for Large Datacentres

The rule change applies to large-scale datacentres, which are central to storing and processing data used by AI. Scotland has seen a surge in planning applications as global investment in AI infrastructure has grown. More than 20 large datacentres have been proposed so far, including a scheme in Auchtertool, Fife, described as the second-largest in the world.

Campaigners have raised concerns about water use and carbon emissions from large datacentres and questioned whether Scotland can handle the increase in energy demand. The Scottish Greens have submitted a motion for Wednesday calling for a moratorium on new projects “until a national strategy and updated planning guidance are produced, which takes into account the cumulative impacts on energy demand and the environment.”

Earlier this month, hundreds of people from community groups protested outside Holyrood against the construction of large datacentres for AI until clear planning rules and a definition of a “green” datacentre had been formalised. On Thursday, AI leaders are due to gather at Dumfries House in Ayrshire for a summit with King Charles on the future of the technology, amid warnings that the speed of its development threatens the survival of humanity.

In a statement, public finance minister Hannah Mary Goodlad said the Scottish government recognised that evidence on the environmental impact was still developing. “We must balance the economic and employment interests in developing datacentres with national energy, climate and community wealth-building ambitions, which are vital to our future prosperity, as well as the potential impact on local communities,” she said. “Ensuring that an environmental impact assessment is always part of the application process will create a level playing field for developers, and will ensure potentially significant environmental effects are considered from the outset.”

Kat Jones, the director of the NGO Action to Protect Rural Scotland, who has spearheaded demands for a datacentre moratorium in Scotland, said requiring environmental impact assessments was a “no-brainer,” but said questions remained about the impact of the datacentre buildout on Scotland’s infrastructure. “This is extremely good news and something that we have been asking for since the start of our campaign, but without a moratorium, the other essential work can’t be done. A pause on planning decisions is absolutely essential,” she said. “Just the first four applications under consideration at the moment would use as much energy as is generated by Torness nuclear power station, which is due to close in 2030. A modest pause will give time for the government to put in place the necessary planning guidance, assess how much datacentre capacity Scotland actually needs and where any should go, and assess and manage the impacts on the grid and the climate.”