AI data centres: 'Landmark day' for campaigners as MSPs back pause for planning decisions ahead of guidance
SNP ministers have insisted they do not expect any more AI data centre plans to be approved before national guidance is drawn up by the end of the year.
MSPs have voted in favour of planning decisions on AI data centres being paused until SNP ministers publish national guidance - branded a “landmark day” by campaigners opposing the scale-up of facilities.
The Holyrood vote, which is not binding, agreed that “no decisions on planning or consenting” of AI data centre applications “should be made” until the Scottish government publishes national guidance for planning authorities on the facilities.
MSPs turned down Scottish Greens MSP Patrick Harvie’s attempt for a full moratorium on AI data centre applications being submitted, but voted in favour of Labour MSP Daniel Johnson’s amendment for determination of applications to be paused.
SNP ministers have pledged to issue the new guidance by Christmas and argued they did not expect any further applications to be determined before it is issued.
SNP planning minister, Hannah Mary Goodlad, told MSPs that it was “highly unlikely that we will see decisions taken before Christmas”, before Holyrood backed Mr Johnson’s proposal to pause determinations.
SNP business minister Tom Arthur added: "I can confirm that we do not anticipate any planning authority decisions are imminent before the Scottish government guidance is in place.”
Vast concerns have been raised over 24 proposed data centres across Scotland, which could potentially use as much energy as one and a half times Scotland’s peak electricity demand. Fears have also been tabled over water and heating demands, alongside the impact on local communities.
Ms Goodlad told MSPs that the Scottish government has “taken substantive action on this matter” after confirming that all applications over the 50MW threshold will now need to submit an environmental impact assessment.
She said: “Over the summer, I issued a planning direction, requiring planning authorities to notify Scottish ministers of new data centre applications, increased and beyond the 50MW.
“Within seven days of that being submitted, that comes across my table so that I can make sure that we, as a government, have strategic oversight.
“Today we have gone even further, to confirm that we will be issuing a new direction requiring an environmental impact assessment for all applications, new and existing, for new data centres exceeding the 50MW capacity.
“This government absolutely recognises the need for careful scrutiny of planning applications and of their likely impact on the environment and our communities.”
But she told MSPs that her government does “not agree that there should be a moratorium” on applications.
“That is not necessary, it is not appropriate”, she added. “It would send the wrong message to anyone looking to invest in Scotland.”
After MSPs backed his call for a pause to applications being determined, Mr Johnson said: “Scotland has huge strengths in data science and energy but we need a real plan to ensure we benefit from new developments.
“Data centres are an increasingly important part of our national infrastructure and a potential source of jobs, but construction cannot happen at the expense of our communities, environment or energy needs.
“So far the SNP has failed to do the work needed to get this right – that must change.”
He added: “It is right that the SNP government has accepted the need for national guidance before more decisions are made and I want to see that guidance delivered with the urgency needed.
“We must ensure any developments create benefits and don’t put our environment at risk or undermine our transition.
“The SNP must put in place the protections needed and ensure that any data centres work for communities, create good jobs, and deliver for Scotland.”
Dr Kat Jones, director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, which has led protests against planned data centres, hailed the result as a “landmark day for all those communities across Scotland who have been extremely concerned about projects coming forward in their areas”.
She added: “There’s much still to be done but this is a huge step forward and we can all at least take a breath now.
“It’s great that Scottish ministers and the Parliament as a whole have now endorsed text that says no decisions on planning or consenting should be made until that guidance and strategy is complete.
“That means the Scottish government must now urgently call in those applications which are approaching a decision date. The communities will expect nothing less.”
Earlier, Mr Harvie called on MSPs to “recognise the scale of what’s being proposed right now and the policy vacuum that it’s happening in”.
He added that a green data centre “still hasn’t been defined” by SNP ministers.
“Communities around the country are really concerned about the local impacts including the sheer physical scale of these developments, noise impact, local air pollution”, he added.
“The biggest concern we’re raising is about energy. The scale of electricity demand we’re talking about is staggering.
“Just the first 24 current proposals would equal one and a half times Scotland’s peak electricity demand. The government wants to attract even more of these developments. This kind of scale is quite clearly implausible.”
Mr Harvie argued that “it’s simply impossible for local planning decisions made on a piecemeal basis to take into account the national strategic issues”.
He added: “Let’s press pause, let’s take the time that is needed. Give the government the time it needs to do that work and put Scotland’s interests ahead of the interests of the big tech giants.”
Climate campaigners have hit out at MSPs for turning down the full moratorium, claiming that planning decisions could be issued before the new guidance is published.
Kim Pratt, senior circular economy campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Politicians have chosen to support data centre plans, fuelled by the greed of big tech, rather than to protect the people of Scotland.
“Thousands of people across Scotland have spoken out against the rapid rise of data centres which pollute communities, add to climate breakdown and use up resources needed for the energy transition.”
She argued that "many MSPs in the debate who opposed a moratorium seemed won over by promises of jobs and growth”.
Ms Pratt added: “However, independent research has shown that the true number of jobs created by data centres is a fraction of what industry claims, with a 100MW sized data centre estimated to create only 15 direct jobs once operational.
"In today’s debate, the planning minister suggested that no data centres will be approved before Christmas. However, decisions in Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, Inverclyde and Fife, where decisions are expected in a matter of weeks, desperately need clarity on that now.
“Only a moratorium on all hyperscale data centres until proper social and environmental safeguards are in place can protect people and nature from their impacts."
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