20260903 - Data Centre Opposition

In Holyrood, during the Scottish Parliament Question Time, opposition to hyperscale data centres was rising.

Scottish Green Party, Mr Greer - "Current applications for hyperscale Data Centres in Scotland would consume more than 1.5 times our country's current peak power use. At Larbert, a 300-megawatt data centre is proposed, with 200 diesel generators, situated right beside a care home, with some of the residents on ventilators.

Even the developer states that it would have an adverse effect on the local environment. Hundreds of protestors are outside Holyrood right now, demanding a halt to these hyperscale Data Centres.

I am calling for the Scottish First Minister to pause these applications until full planning guidance and a national strategy are both in place."

The First Minister's reply - "I understand the concerns raised, but it does not take into account much of the planning regulations that are in place at the moment. National Planning Policy 4 provides a robust framework, including climate and environmental impacts, which this parliament has approved and the regulatory constraints that have been added by the UK government as a result of the summer heatwave."

"They will guide the assessment of such schemes, and we will monitor the effects of that as a consequence of the decisions we have taken over the summer to maximise scrutiny of these issues."

[Disclaimer - This blog entry was added by Ivor C and was not requested by either of the parties above. A few words were left out, but the meaning has not changed.]