Datacentre Developers Under Pressure to Reveal Emissions Impact Amid AI Boom
Campaign groups are calling on datacentre developers in the UK to disclose whether their projects will increase the country's net greenhouse gas emissions, as concerns mount that these facilities could double national electricity demand. In a letter to UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, organizations including Foxglove and Friends of the Earth warned that the energy requirements of new AI infrastructure pose a serious threat to decarbonisation efforts.
Growing Electricity Demand from AI Infrastructure
The letter highlights that developers should demonstrate their projects will not cause a rise in overall CO2 emissions or exacerbate local water scarcity, as part of a forthcoming national policy statement on datacentres. Without such commitments, the campaigners argue, vast electricity use will inevitably lead to significant climate emissions. This comes as MPs on the environmental audit committee launch an inquiry into the sustainability of datacentres, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband noting the uncertainty of future energy demand from these sites.
Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, has calculated that about 140 proposed datacentre schemes, driven by artificial intelligence, could require 50GW of electricity—5GW more than the current peak demand. For instance, datacentres planned in Elsham, Lincolnshire, and Cambois, Northumberland, are each expected to have an electricity demand of 1GW, equivalent to the output of a nuclear power station, necessitating new renewable energy sources to match.
Environmental and Economic Implications
Britain is experiencing a datacentre boom fueled by AI investment, with these facilities serving as the central nervous system for tools like chatbots and image generators. However, they require substantial power for servers and water for cooling. The campaigners cite a proposed Google datacentre in Essex, projected to emit over half a million tonnes of CO2 annually, comparable to about 500 short-haul flights per week.
With an estimated 100-200 new datacentres in the planning system, the letter stresses the need for the national policy statement to address these challenges to prevent the public and climate from bearing the environmental costs. The UK aims for a virtually carbon-free power system by 2030, but this goal is already in doubt due to rising electricity costs.
Calls for Transparency and Renewable Investment
The campaigners advocate for a framework to calculate the environmental impact of datacentres and require developers to fund renewable energy generation related to their proposals. They also seek to prevent greenwashing, such as relying on renewable energy certificates without actually using green power, which can mask continued reliance on fossil fuels.
A government spokesperson responded that datacentres are driving economic growth and helping meet environmental challenges, with a new energy committee working to source renewable power. The spokesperson added that datacentres will increasingly use renewables, and the planning system considers water scarcity, but critics argue more stringent measures are needed to align with net zero targets by 2050.
