A Scottish government policy designed to attract datacentres to Scotland could lead to a significant volume of carbon emissions being ignored, according to an analysis by the charity Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS). The policy, which promotes 'green datacentres' as central to Scotland's economic ambitions, lacks a clear definition of what constitutes a green datacentre, potentially allowing AI developments to claim green status while their climate impact remains unaddressed.
Lack of Definition Raises Concerns
APRS, an Edinburgh-based charity, argues that the absence of a precise definition means current AI projects can brand themselves as green despite significant emissions. This could enable developers to receive favourable treatment from local authorities. The policy, enshrined in Scotland's National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), was established before the release of ChatGPT and has not been updated to account for the massive energy consumption of AI.
Massive Energy Demands
More than a dozen datacentres are seeking planning permission in Scotland, including an AI growth zone in Lanarkshire backed by £8.2bn in private investment. Collectively, they could use approximately 6.2GW of power, exceeding Scotland's peak winter power use by 1.5 times. A datacentre in Edinburgh, which includes 200 diesel backup generators equivalent to 100,000 idling cars, was accepted as green by a planning committee despite the lack of a formal definition.
Outdated Analysis
APRS found that the analysis underpinning NPF4's conclusion that datacentres have a 'negligible impact' on emissions was conducted in 2022, before ChatGPT's release. It assumed any emissions increase would be offset by reduced travel, failing to consider AI's energy demands. Kat Jones, APRS director, called it 'shocking' that hyperscale datacentres' carbon footprint was excluded from greenhouse gas analysis.
Last week, energy company representatives confirmed over 100 datacentre projects have requested gas connections due to long waits for grid connections, raising questions for climate goals. A Scottish government spokesperson stated the aim is to secure investment in datacentres that drive economic growth while aligning with net zero ambitions.
