Scottish Greens challenge Labour leader hopefuls to “draw a line in the sand” on AI data centres
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer has asked both Scottish Labour leadership candidates to back his party’s calls for a moratorium on hyperscale data centres.
Green MSPs will put their moratorium proposals to a vote in Parliament this Wednesday, the final day of the Scottish Labour leadership contest. Ahead of that vote, Ross Greer has challenged Labour hopefuls Joe Fagan and Michael Marra to clarify their stance on hyperscale AI data centres.
This comes after Gary Smith of the Labour-affiliated GMB union called for more hyperscale data centres in Scotland and suggested that they could be powered by new nuclear reactors.
Estimates show that the first 24 hyperscale data centre applications already put forward would need more than 1.5 times as much power as all of Scotland.
The Scottish Greens are the only party to take a clear position on this new wave of data centre bids so far, demanding a pause on all applications until a national strategy is developed and clear guidance is provided to councils before they approve or reject the plans.
Ross said:
“The Scottish Greens have led the campaign against this wave of speculative hyperscale data centre applications, but on Wednesday Scottish Labour can join us in drawing a line in the sand before it's too late. I’m challenging both Labour leadership candidates to make their position clear ahead of the vote in Parliament.
“Any MSP who considers themselves a voice for the public must listen to the communities across Scotland who are demanding that their elected representatives get a grip of this situation.
“These data centres would use a simply absurd amount of energy, which will almost certainly lead to our bills going up and huge damage to our environment.
“In parts of London they’ve had to pause new house building because new data centres are already taking up so much power that any new homes couldn’t actually be connected to the grid. We cannot let that happen here.
“There isn’t even a requirement for developers to carry out an environmental impact assessment on their plans. Councils are struggling to figure out how they assess each application because the Scottish Government has failed to produce proper guidance, never mind a clear national strategy.
“The Scottish Greens are clear that we need a pause on all hyperscale data centres applications until that guidance and strategy are in place.
“Our MSPs will bring this proposal to a vote this week in Parliament. I hope that MSPs in other parties, including the Scottish Labour leader hopefuls will join us in doing the right thing.”
Text of letter from Ross Greer to Scottish Labour leadership candidates
Dear Joe/Michael,
Views on hyperscale AI data centres
As you will be aware, there is currently a significant amount of discussion relating to the current proposals for hyperscale data centres across Scotland.
Should the first 24 applications in the planning pipeline be approved, it is estimated that they would consume up to 6,000MW of power, which is more than one-and-a-half times Scotland’s current peak winter energy demand.
Community-led campaigns, such as those in Auchtertool, Bishopbriggs and Larbert, have made their opposition clear, given the significant local impact.
Recently, Gary Smith of the GMB Union put his support for new data centres on public record, commenting that they have a place in Scotland, due to our abundance of water.
However, this stance does not consider the concerns that have been repeatedly raised around the significant energy use of these developments, nor the implications for our natural environment.
The Scottish Greens have been clear that these concerns must be fully considered and have made repeated calls for a moratorium on data centres over 50MW until the Scottish Government develops a national strategy, including a clear definition of a ‘green’ data centre and a requirement that all large-scale applications undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment.
Considering the comments made by Gary Smith, and the concerns raised by the Scottish Green Party, would you clarify your stance on hyperscale AI data centres, and whether you back our calls for a moratorium?
Yours sincerely,
Ross Greer, co-leader of the Scottish Green Party