Greens back calls to reject monstrous AI Data Centre in Fife
ILI Group who have submitted the proposals claim the data centre will be ‘green’ but the hard evidence of AI consumption and pollution says otherwise. In fact, preliminary assessments shared online by APRS based on ILI’s plans suggest the centre’s energy consumption could match that of half of all homes in Scotland’s annual usage. This would be close to 20% of the country’s entire energy use.(^1)
Proposals now publicly available for consultation show the size of the proposed site would eclipse the nearby village of Auchtertool whilst providing no community benefits. The head of the local Community Council has confirmed this week the village stands against the proposals and takes issue with Fife Council’s decision that no Environmental Impact Assessment is required.
Scottish Green MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Mark Ruskell said, “Scotland is sleepwalking into an AI nightmare. Hyperscale data centres are being proposed with no strategy coming from government or councils to control their location, size or environmental impact.
“The very least Fife Council should be doing is requiring a proper environmental assessment of the Auchtertool proposal, instead communities are being left to guess what the impact will be of living next to one of the biggest datacentres in the world.
“Fife Council need to think again, or Scottish Ministers need to step in and take over the decision making process."
Ryan Blackadder of the Fife Greens said of the plans: “Fifers near and far are making their voices heard that this monstrosity has no place here in the Kingdom.
“The ongoing destruction of the planet at the hands of AI is a generational crisis and we won’t stand by and allow Fife to play an unwilling part.
“This community has suffered the environment impact of Mossmorran burning on its doorstep for more than four decades, Exxonmobil has barely closed its doors and is already being replaced by another nature-destroying mega-plant”
The Fife branch of the Scottish Greens will support the community in objecting and challenging these proposals. Scottish Greens Councillors in Edinburgh recently led on challenging similar applications in the Capital and the City of Edinburgh Council subsequently passed a moratorium on approving new data centres amid ongoing concerns about their lasting environmental impact.
The Scottish Greens implore Fife Council to follow suit.