Ministers intervene as Scotland’s data centre boom sparks concern

Scottish Government intervenes in AI data centre boom

PLANNED AI data centres in Fife and Edinburgh will have to publish Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), the Scottish Government has said.

Ministers intervene as Scotland’s data centre boom sparks concern

Scottish ministers are tightening oversight of major data centres amid concerns over energy demand, climate impacts and pressure on local…

Scottish Government Issues New Planning Direction for Data Centres Over 50 MW

The Scottish Government has announced that applications for new data centres exceeding 50MW will have to be notified to Scottish Ministers within 7 days. The requirement applies to both new planning applications and any that are currently being considered. The Direction came into force on Monday 17 August. (EIA : Environmental Impact Assessment) The Orkney […]

Data centre planning direction - Harnessing opportunities of data centres

Planning authorities will be required to notify Scottish Ministers of new data centre applications within seven days of validation.   A new direction, issued by Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad, applies to data centre developments exceeding 50 Megawatts (MW) power capacity.

Ministers tighten grip on planning after environmental and energy backlash over 'green' datacentres

Ministers are tightening their grip on major datacentre developments amid a growing backlash from activists over their environmental and energy impacts. Local councils will have to notify the Scottish Government within a week of accepting any major datacentre application, under new rules designed to give greater ministers greater oversight over the process. The direction, issued by public finance minister Hannah Mary Goodlad, applies to datacent…

SNP fail to block AI Data Centres

The Scottish Government’s new approach to data centre developments is a welcome step in but falls short of the moratorium needed, the Scottish Greens have said. The party’s climate spokesperson, Mark Ruskell MSP, has called for an immediate pause on approving new large-scale data centres while a binding national framework is developed to protect Scotland’s energy network, climate targets, water resources and communities. The Scottish Governmen…