Edinburgh AI data centre assessment must become the rule
The Scottish Greens have welcomed the Scottish Government’s decision to require an Environmental Impact Assessment for a proposed hyperscale data centre in Edinburgh’s South Gyle, saying it marks an important step towards greater scrutiny of the industry's damaging impact.
The party has warned that the same rigorous assessment must become the standard for all hyperscale data centre developments across Scotland, not a one-off exception. At present there are 24 live applications for hyperscale data centres in Scotland, if they were all approved it would use more than 1.5 times Scotland’s total peak energy use.
The party has called for a pause on all new hyperscale data centre applications until a robust national strategy is introduced, covering their climate impact, energy and water use, effects on nature and meaningful community involvement in the planning process.
Scottish Greens Edinburgh and Lothians East MSP Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill said:
“I am pleased that the Scottish Government has listened to Greens and others, and have mandated an Environmental Impact Assessment for this AI data centre in South Gyle.
“But this decision must become a precedent rather than an outlier. It is ridiculous that you could ever have a situation where something so damaging could ever be allowed without the strictest assessments and scrutiny.
“Hyperscale data centres like this can have a devastating impact on the climate, local communities and nature so it's simply mind boggling for an Environmental Impact Assessment not to be the norm in these planning cases.
“We need to end the corporate free-for-all that we are seeing and ensure that we are not selling our country off to tech giants who have no concern about the impact on people and planet.
“The Scottish Greens, and campaigners from across the country, have called for the Scottish Government to urgently halt all of these data centres applications until a robust, transparent national strategy is in place. That has to include mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments and a planning process in which local people and not just profiteers can have their voices heard.”